


The Amaranthines

by Tkeyla



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: AU, First Time, M/M, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-04
Updated: 2013-01-13
Packaged: 2017-10-23 10:21:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/249232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tkeyla/pseuds/Tkeyla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hawaii 5-0 AU featuring Steve and Danny. Steve has some very special qualities which Danny learns about and is surprisingly okay with. (No Rachel but Grace is in the story.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How Does That Work Exactly?

“So,” Danny was saying as he entered Steve’s house, dispensing with the necessity of knocking. He never had before and certainly wasn’t going to start now. “I’ve been thinking.” He put the two six-packs of Longboards in the frig, holding out one for him and one for Steve who took his after drying his hands on a handy towel.

“I hope it didn’t give you a headache,” Steve said, Danny frowning at him just like he expected.

“Har, har. You are quite the comedian,” Danny grumped, following Steve out to the beach and settling in the chair next to him.

“We all have our talents,” Steve agreed, scooting his chair into the sun while Danny stayed in the shade.

“And you have more than your share,” Danny said, studying Steve with an intensity that Steve could have found slightly unnerving. But he acknowledged it wasn’t anything new and turned his attention to the waves lapping at the shore.

“Thanks,” Steve said, listening to Danny frown. Yeah, he could hear his friend’s expressions. The way his body shifted just so, his head tilted at a slight angle like he was trying to figure it out.

“A couple of weeks ago, I’m watching the History Channel,” Danny said like he had just been talking about his TV viewing habits. “And there’s this special on. About the history of the US Air Force.”

“I’m in the Navy, Danno,” Steve said automatically, only half listening to what his friend was saying. Well, maybe only a quarter listening. He’d know if it were important and then he’d respond appropriately.

“Yes, Steven, I know. During this special on the US Air Force of which you are _not_ a part, they were showing pictures of the Naval ship that had the first Air Force planes stationed on it.”

“Yeah. It took them a while to build their own carriers,” Steve said because Danny had stopped which was generally a signal that Steve was expected to supply some type of comment.

“Thank you, Mr. History Channel. That’s what they said. But that’s not the point.”

“Is there a point? Or did you just want me to know you watch something on TV that’s not related to the Yankees or the football Giants?” Steve was silently laughing at Danny and there had been a time when it would have pissed off Danny to no end. But now – now it was how they were. And there was no denying that they were a _they._ It hadn’t crossed over from best friends and partners to anything else but it was just a matter of time. _They_ both knew it.

“They were showing pictures of the Naval officers on the ship,” Danny said, turning to watch Steve. “And you were there.”

Steve stopped breathing for one second. That was all. But it was enough. “Don’t be ridiculous. That was in the 1940s. It was my grandfather.”

“No, Steve, it was you,” Danny said quietly. No bombast, no baiting, a simple statement. “I went to the library and found all the books I could on the US Navy since it was established. I also found some Civil War photos by Matthew Brady.”

“The dude from ‘Friends’?” Steve asked hoping like hell his voice sounded somewhere close to normal.

“That was Matthew Perry.” Danny stopped, turning to look directly at Steve, trying to catch his eye but Steve would not look back. His obvious evasion made Danny swallow. He’d discovered the truth. Now what was Steve going to do? “You were in some of the Civil War photos, Steve. It was _you_.”

“That’s clearly impossible,” Steve said, staring out at nothing.

“It would seem that way. But don’t think I wouldn’t recognize you if you were wearing a pink tutu and a purple tiara. Tell me how you could fight in the Civil War and still be here.” Danny continued studying him, squinting in thought. After taking a drink from his beer, he relaxed a little in his chair. “My first guess is that you are a vampire. But not as much as you love the sun.”

“Vampires aren’t real, Danny,” Steve said softly.

“Maybe. Maybe not. The fact is you are apparently immortal. Except I’ve also seen pictures of you from high school. Not any before that though.”

Steve’s body was a line of tension, coiled for fight or flight. Danny didn’t know which way it would go but if the fight instinct won out, Danny would be the one to pay the price. He wouldn’t be happy with flight either but at least he could eventually track Steve down.

“Does the Navy know you are immortal?” Danny asked in coaxing. He kept his voice almost as gentle as it would be when he was trying to calm a hysterical witness. Not quite but it was very close.

“Yes,” Steve whispered, closing his eyes for only a moment.

“I guess they’d need to know,” Danny said with a nod. “Who else knows?”

“My father did…does. And my mother. But that’s all,” Steve said, finally looking at Danny, something akin to terror in his eyes. “It goes without saying that you cannot repeat this to anyone.”

“I have no intentions of it,” Danny said. He took a deep breath, trying to settle down the furious beating of his heart. Suspecting and knowing, it turned out, were two very different things. He needed to process what he had just had confirmed. It was a lot to take in. When he turned back to Steve, he realized he was talking.

“I am an Amaranthine,” Steve was saying when Danny managed to focus back on him and not all the sounds swirling aimlessly in his own head.

“An Amaranthine,” Danny repeated, frowning. “An immortal.”

“Yes,” Steve said, the word only reluctantly leaving his tongue.

“How old are you?” Danny asked, hoping to ease into the rest of the information. Date of birth was always a good place to start when finding out about anyone.

“I’ll be 35, just like you,” Steve said with a forced smile.

“You look 35. But clearly you can’t be,” Danny reminded him. “When were you born?”

Steve’s focus went internal rather than external. Danny could see him considering his next words. He would wait. He was getting the truth and he could be patient. “1477,” Steve finally said very quietly.

“1477,” Danny repeated, doing the calculations in his brain. “That’s…uhm… that’s impressive.”

“Yeah.”

When Steve didn’t seem inclined to add anything further, Danny went into detective mode. He’d learned the truth but there were a shit-load of unanswered questions. “So you never die? How does this work?”

“I… we do die,” Steve said, his voice quiet.

“Then how it is you are still here?”

“When an Amaranthine dies, a Keeper comes and collects our soul. Sometimes our bodies if the disappearance doesn’t raise too many awkward questions.”

“Okay. You die but you’re immortal. Can I please have the Schoolhouse Rock version?” Danny requested, no sting in the words as hard as it was to stay neutral while asking it.

“We are for all intents and purposes…Human. If I get shot, it hurts like hell. I have to wait to recover just like I’m Human. But if I’m shot through the heart or in the back of the head, my Human form dies. A Keeper comes and collects me.”

“Then what happens? What does the Keeper do?” Danny asked.

“Relocates me.”

“In the same body?” Danny asked, trying really hard to understand what Steve was telling him.

“Sort of,” Steve said. He finally turned enough to look at Danny, an unheard of mix of fear and anger in his eyes. “I became an Amaranthine when I was 14. When my Human form dies, I become 14 again. The Keeper relocates me as a 14 year old.”

“Relocates you?” Danny repeated. “You just show up somewhere as a 14 year old and… what… get a job? Take an apartment? How does that work?”

“There are foster parents who take us in. They either know we are Amaranthine or they are themselves,” Steve said, waiting as Danny processed the information.

“Your parents?” Danny asked softly. He didn’t really want to know but had no choice but to ask.

“The man I called my father is an Amaranthine,” Steve acknowledged. “My mother wasn’t. Not that she was my birth mother.”

“So your father is… out there…somewhere,” Danny said, gesturing broadly at the ocean.

“He’s in Cleveland,” Steve said. “He’s 23. He was 22 when he became one.”

“Do you talk to him?” Danny had to ask.

“Yeah,” Steve admitted. “It’s against the rules but the Keepers look the other way.”

“These Keepers. Are they like your Guardian Angels?”

“Big Brother,” Steve said with a rueful smile. “They don’t monitor us constantly. But they know basically where we are and what we are doing.”

“Oh,” Danny said. “How many Amaranthines are there?”

“In Hawaii, there are 14. There were 15 before Jack was relocated.”

“Do you have, like, club meetings?” Danny asked, wondering if it was completely wrong to be making jokes about it.

“No,” Steve said, shaking his head. “I can feel them.”

“Feel them. Like Obi-Wan?”

“A little like that, yeah. I suspect that George Lucas is an Amaranthine but I’ve never asked,” Steve said with a shrug.

“Would you know? If he were?”

“Only if I met him. If I were on the mainland this time, I’d have some idea how many were there. Not precisely since it’s so big. When I was in Australia, I knew there were 45.”

“I guess you’ve lived a whole lot of places,” Danny said. “Which would explain your abilities at language.”

“I’ve lived a lot of places. But only if it’s mostly populated by Caucasian Humans,” Steve pointed out.

“Where else?”

“France. I didn’t really like it there. They put me in Switzerland once.” Steve glanced over at Danny when he laughed. “Yeah. Could I look any less Swiss?”

“Doubt it.”

“Mostly America since it’s been established. It’s my favorite country. This is the first time I’ve been in Hawaii. I really like it here.”

“So are you 100% Human except for the fact that you can’t die?” Danny asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Can you do what Humans do? I know you eat and drink and sleep. Can you have… children?”

“No. But I can have sex,” Steve said, watching Danny carefully as he said it.

Danny nodded. Yeah, they’d get there but they still had some territory to cover. “And the Navy is good with this? Having an immortal in their ranks?”

“They actively recruit us,” Steve said. “Saves a ton on training. The next time I’m relocated, I’ll rejoin and only need a little training to be back up to speed.”

“Frighteningly enough that makes sense,” Danny said. “And if you die in service to your country, the Keepers can reclaim your body and no one questions that it wasn’t recovered.”

“Exactly.”

“Were they mad when you decided to take on 5-0?” Danny asked. “If you die from one of your massive explosions, your body could be recovered.”

“They’ll reclaim my soul until I’m cremated. Then they’ll reclaim my body,” Steve said, drinking from his beer.

“Well.”

“That’s it?” Steve asked, a smile finally breaking the planes of his face. “I just told you something I’m not allowed to discuss and your response is _Well_?”

“My response is actually _holy fucking shit_ but that seems overly crude,” Danny said.

“Yeah,” Steve agreed.

“Have you always been in some form of military?” Danny finally asked.

“Most of the time. In Australia I was a ranch hand. In Switzerland I joined the ski patrol. I died in an avalanche. My body was never recovered.”

“And you have all the memories of all the lives you’ve ever lived.” It wasn’t an actual question but there was certainly one implied.

“It can get confusing sometimes. Day-to-day it’s fine. I can limit my focus to my current life. But my dreams can cover hundreds of years and when I wake up I can’t remember when I am.”

“I can only imagine,” Danny said in sympathy. “You said you became an Amaranthine at 14. How does that work? Like when a supposed Vampire bites you and you become one?”

“I’ll tell you but only if you promise you won’t laugh,” Steve said with a stern frown.

“I promise. Laughing isn’t really high on my list of possible reactions at the moment.”

Steve nodded. “I contracted the Bubonic plague. My mother’s ‘sister’ was an Amaranthine. My aunt was so distraught at the idea of me dying, she started crying. Some of her tears dripped in my mouth.”

“Their tears,” Danny said.

“Yeah. We aren’t permitted to transfer to Humans but she nearly lost her mind to grief. The Keepers tried to stop it but it was too late. I was already transformed.”

“I feel like I should say I’m sorry. But I don’t know why I would be,” Danny said quietly.

“It’s not the worst thing that can happen to a person,” Steve said with a seemingly caual shrug. But there was still far too much tesnion in his body to make it actually casual. “Sometimes I’m really tired of living so many lives. But then I meet someone that makes me want to keep going.”

“Someone, huh?” Danny teased, leaning closer to Steve. “Have you met _someone_ in this existence?”

“Maybe,” Steve said, drawn toward Danny and refusing to hold back from what they both wanted. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. I have been positive for a while now. I’m tired of waiting for your Army ass to get into gear.”

“Navy,” Steve mumbled as he closed the remaining distance between them and kissed Danny.

~o0o~

Some time later, when they were both mostly awake, curled together sweaty and sated in Steve’s bed, Danny rolled onto his side to look at Steve. It was like seeing him anew – still as beautiful but with a weariness that Danny had never taken the time to see. Hundreds of years. That’s what he was seeing.

“What?” Steve asked, turning to meet Danny’s eyes.

“Do you always have these ridiculous tattoos?” Danny asked, tracing the closest one with a finger. He loved Steve’s tattoos but it would never do to actually admit it.

“No. When I’m relocated, I’m 14. I look 14, I’ve learned to act 14. I suffer through calculus all over again.”

“High school, huh? Over and over again?”

“Yeah. I’ve been class president three times, football quarterback four times, and expelled twice.”

“Expelled huh?”

“Yeah. I can only take reading _Pride and Prejudice_ so many times,” Steve admitted.

“It’s an excellent book,” Danny suggested with a laugh.

“Not to a 15 year old for the third time.”

“I guess not,” Danny had to agree. “How did you die the last time?”

“In Iraq,” Steve said grimly. “It was fairly horrifying.”

“I can only imagine,” Danny said, flinging one arm over Steve’s very warm, very alive body.

“I was only 23,” Steve said. “Jack was pissed. I’ve never seen anyone yell at a Keeper before. It was quite impressive.”

“You were his then too?”

“He was killed shortly after I died. Since he was transformed at 22, they returned me to him even though he seemed 25 and I was 14. No one ever really questioned it, thankfully.”

“How many times has he been your father?”

“Four counting this last time. I hope next time I’m relocated he’s not too old to take me back.”

“Nice to have continuity,” Danny confirmed.

“It makes things easier. So I don’t have to get used to new parents.”

“Could you be assigned a child?” Danny asked wondering why. Where had that question come from? He hadn’t had any intention of asking it, really he hadn’t.

“If I asked for one,” Steve said. “I’ve been a foster father three times. They prefer given children to married Amaranthines.”

“How many times have you been married?” Danny asked.

“None. I decided early on that I didn’t want that sort of complication. If I die and am relocated, she’s still out there somewhere. I can’t imagine having three or four widows all mourning my death.”

“Oh,” Danny said, his head spinning at that news.

“I’ve since changed my mind,” Steve said quietly, turning enough to kiss Danny. “I want to get married for the first time.”

“Oh,” Danny repeated, his head spinning for an entirely different set of reasons. “Anyone I know?”

“A diminutive, loud-mouth detective from Jersey,” Steve confirmed, kissing Danny senseless.

“Sounds like someone I’d hate,” Danny said, kissing Steve back with all the love and pent-up passion he’d held at bay until right now.

“Nah. He’s not a bad sort, for a mortal,” Steve assured him.

“Do you have to have permission? From the Keepers or anything?”

“No.”

“That’s good,” Danny said, his smile transforming into a frown as he replayed Steve’s words. “I am _not_ diminutive.”

“Okay, Danno. Whatever you say,” Steve said, kissing away his frowns.

“I am not.”

“The average American man is 5’ 10”. That makes you close to diminutive.”

“Just because I am not a gigantor like you, my immortal friend, does not permit you to cast aspersions on my size.”

“What if I make it up to you?” Steve asked, rolling on top of Danny and proving that as far as he was concerned, Danny’s size was perfect in every way.


	2. Like a Ghost From "Christmas Carol"

Six months later, they were married in a quiet ceremony beside Pearl Harbor. Steve looked splendid in his dress blue uniform. Kono, their maid of honor, assured Danny that he looked equally fabulous in his Newark Police Department uniform. He had his doubts but he wasn’t going to argue with her. What was the point?

The ceremony was attended by their close friends, Danny’s brother and two of his sisters flying in for the wedding. Some of Steve’s island friends attended as did Jack. Steve said he would probably be scolded by the Keepers but Jack wanted to come so he did.

Danny was happy to meet Jack, thanking him for taking such good care of Steve. Jack laughed, looking a lot like Steve when he did it. Danny could see why Steve kept being put back in Jack’s care – they really could be father and son. Or maybe it was their repeated and lengthy military service that accounted for the similarities.

“I’m attending Cleveland State University,” Jack told Danny when they found a quiet corner in the restaurant they had rented for the reception. “Majoring in computer engineering this time. Steve helps me with my homework when it’s above my pay grade.”

“It must be so weird,” Danny suggested. “To have him as a son. Then to be younger than he is.”

Jack shrugged at that. “I guess it sounds strange. But I was born in 1545 so I’m used to it.”

Danny nodded, smiling up at Steve when he came over to join them. “Hi ya.”

“Danno,” Steve said. “I’m wondering if we’ve been here long enough.”

“You want to start your honeymoon?” Jack asked, making Danny laugh.

“Should you be saying that to your son?” Danny asked, still laughing.

“He’s his own man. Always has been,” Jack said, standing to hug Steve. “I need to go. I’ll see you soon.”

Steve nodded, watching Jack say his good-byes to the other guests, trying to pretend it wasn’t hard to watch him leave. But good-bye was something Steve said a lot and this one was no worse and no better than most of the others.

“Hey, Super SEAL. You ready to go?” Danny asked, looking up at Steve with love reflected on his face.

“Yeah,” Steve agreed, meeting Danny’s eyes and smiling. “Let’s go tell everyone how much we appreciate them being here so we can sneak out.”

“Good plan,” Danny agreed, taking Steve’s hand when he offered. They chatted with everyone present for an appropriate length of time, no one trying to stall them. Their guests could see the love and desire flowing between them and it was right that they leave to celebrate privately.

They checked into the honeymoon suite that Governor Jameson had given them as a wedding gift, the luxury of it almost overdone. The suite and a promise not to call them for the next three days. A promise they fully intended to hold her to.

“Seriously,” Danny said as they stood looking at the Jacuzzi tub. “I could park my Camaro in here. If I was ever allowed to actually drive it.”

“You drive like an old man,” Steve told him as he worked on the buttons of Danny’s jacket.

“You are an old man,” Danny retorted, laughter flashing in his blue eyes.

“Have I ever denied it?” Steve asked, leaning down to kiss Danny’s answer away.

~o0o~

Several weeks after they were married, Steve woke to the presence in their bedroom. It was the middle of the night and the room was completely dark. But he knew who had arrived even before he saw the ethereal figure at the end of the bed. It was taller than most, a nearly formless and floating shape of glowing white and blue.

Danny sensed the change in Steve’s sleep and sat up next to him. He inhaled sharply when he saw the figure, looking at Steve who was staring at it. “That a Keeper?” Danny whispered.

Steve nodded, turning to look at Danny. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry.”

“You aren’t dead, right?” Danny asked, just to make sure.

“I’m alive. It’s here for something else,” Steve said, returning his focus to the Keeper. “Are you sure?”

“What?” Danny asked, looking from Steve to the Keeper and back.

“I’m sorry, Danno,” Steve said, laying his hand on Danny’s arm. The connection allowed Danny to hear what the Keeper was saying although it sounded like an echo and not an actual voice. “You know he knows.”

“Yes. Next time do not fall in love with a detective,” the Keeper requested. But Danny had the feeling that the figure wasn’t actually angry at Steve.

“I’ll try to keep it in mind,” Steve agreed.

“We have a child to place. Would you take her?” the Keeper asked them both.

“How old?” Steve asked.

“Six. She died yesterday. You have a week to decide,” the Keeper informed them.

Steve nodded, looking over at Danny. “We’ll discuss it. You’ll be back next week?”

“I will. If you agree, she will arrive eight days from today. If you do not agree, other arrangements will be made.”

“What’s her current name?” Steve asked.

“Grace. She will be allowed to retain it. She had been living in New Jersey. That is one of the reasons we thought you might take her.”

Steve nodded, glancing over at Danny whose face was carefully blank. “We’ll have a decision in six days.”

“Very well. I will see you then,” the Keeper agreed, floating out of the open window.

When it was gone, Danny took a deep breath, looking at Steve and waiting.

“Do you want a daughter?” Steve asked with a smile.

“Wait. Just wait. I need to process this,” Danny said, shifting so he was facing Steve. Steve mirrored his actions, one hand against Danny’s cheek. Steve sensed that Danny needed at least that much of a connection as he considered what had just happened. “So they come to you? Like a ghost from _Christmas Carol_.”

“Occasionally. When they have a message. It’s generally about placing an Amaranthine who needs to be relocated.”

“Other times?” Danny asked.

“Well,” Steve said with some hesitation.

“Well?” Danny prompted.

“You know how a Jedi Knight could catch glimpses of the future?”

 _"’Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future…the past…old friends long gone,’”_ Danny quoted.

“I told you to stop watching it so many times,” Steve laughed.

“They can see the future?” Danny had to ask although he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.

“Not exactly. They live out of time. Time isn’t really linear. On very rare occasions, they come and tell us that time has gotten distorted and we have to set it right.”

“Oh my God. You are a Jedi,” Danny said, covering his face and flopping down onto his pillow.

“Don’t be silly. There’s no such thing as the Force,” Steve said.

“Yeah well. There was a time I didn’t believe in immortality either,” Danny pointed out.

“True,” Steve had to concede.

“How does time get distorted? Can you time travel?”

“I can’t. There are a few Amaranthines who have figured out how. They are ostracized. The Keepers try to stop them but sometimes they don’t catch them.”

“They mess up the timeline?” Danny asked because he needed to make absolutely sure he understood.

“They try. Sometimes they succeed. Japan was supposed to bomb Vladivostok but a rogue Amaranthine convinced to them bomb Pearl Harbor instead. It was horrible but the Keepers said if they hadn’t, Hitler might have won. America would not have joined the War.”

“Did you die on the Arizona?” Danny asked Steve, not wanting to consider what could have happened if the Japanese had bombed Vladivostok instead.

“No. That was Jack’s adopted father. My adopted grandfather,” Steve told him. “Do you want to adopt the six year old?”

“Why do children always insist on arriving in the middle of the night?” Danny asked with a smile.

“She won’t arrive in the middle of the night. Just the idea of her did.”

“Do you know her?”

“I knew a Grace who was 76 years old. I don’t know if she’s the same one,” Steve said.

“Can we talk about it tomorrow? In the light of day?”

“Of course,” Steve agreed. “I have all the time in the world.”

“Don’t remind me,” Danny requested, taking a deep breath. “What other Amaranthine secrets are you holding back from me?”

Steve shrugged, leaning down to kiss Danny in a quest for reassurance and forgiveness and gratitude. “Being 500 years old has taught me a thing or two about making love.”

“Oh God. Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Danny asked. His voice may have sounded dismayed but as his arms were wrapped tightly around Steve’s body, there was little doubt about his true feelings about being the recipient of Steve’s vast experience.

~o0o~

“If we take her, what will we tell our friends?” Danny asked as he drank a second cup of coffee. It was Thanksgiving weekend and they had several more hours before they had to start dinner for their _ohana_ who were coming to celebrate.

“That she was the daughter of a distant relative. She was left to me in their will,” Steve said, giving Danny a plate of pancakes.

“Don’t say it like she’s a set of China,” Danny requested, pouring too much syrup onto his pancakes.

“You know what I mean,” Steve said, sitting next to him with his own pancakes. “Do you want to take her?”

“Do you?” Danny asked in return.

“Yeah. But only if you do. We both have to want her,” Steve reminded him.

“Since you can’t have babies, this seems like the best compromise. I’d like children,” Danny decided. “Curse of being the oldest.”

“Seems to me you came out perfectly,” Steve said, giving him a sloppy syrupy kiss on the cheek, making Danny grump at him.

“You are a menace,” Danny told him, turning his head to kiss Steve properly.

“Yeah,” Steve agreed, finishing his pancakes. “I’m going for a swim. What are you doing?”

“I’m going to come watch you swim. That’s what I do.”

“You could come swimming with me. I’ll teach you how,” Steve said as he washed up their dishes.

“I know how to swim. I just don’t.”

“All right, Danno. Whatever you say,” Steve responded like he always did, laughing when Danny bit him on the ass, the part closest to him at the moment.

“Go swim. I’ll finish these,” Danny said, shooing Steve out the back door where he watched him dive happily into the ocean. Danny shook his head, marveling again at how lucky he’d been to end up with such a goof-ball for a husband.

~0~

Once everyone had eaten their fill of traditional Thanksgiving fare mixed with some Hawaiian delicacies their _ohana_ insisted on including, they settled down to watch the football game.

“Before we turn it on,” Danny said, sitting on the couch next to Steve. “We have something to tell you.” All eyes turned to Steve and Danny and Steve nodded for him to go ahead. “It looks like we’re going to be fathers.”

There was a stunned silence until Chin finally spoke up. “Not that we don’t think it’s a great idea, _brah._ But this is quite a surprise.”

“Yeah. It was for us too,” Danny agreed, looking over at Steve to explain.

“I have…had a cousin in New Jersey,” Steve said. “I don’t… didn’t hear from her very much. But she had a little girl.” They were all waiting breathlessly for him to continue, curiosity evident everywhere. “My cousin and her husband were killed in a car crash last week. Turns out I was named the child’s guardian in their will.”

“You didn’t know?” Jenna asked, echoing what everyone else was no doubt thinking.

“I really don’t remember,” Steve said. “Their lawyer called yesterday and told me. He said I got a letter telling me about the finalized arrangements when the baby was born. I told him it was news to me.”

“So what happens now, boss? Are you taking her?” Kono asked.

“Danno and I talked about it. We agreed to adopt her,” Steve said.

There was general excitement at the news, everyone agreeing it was an excellent idea and that Steve and Danny would be great parents and they needed to paint one of the guest rooms for the little girl.

“How old is she?” Kamekona asked, surprisingly becoming the voice of reason.

“Six,” Steve said.

Kamekona nodded sagely at that. “Then before you paint, you need to talk to her. Maybe she likes horse. Or turtles. What if you pick the wrong color?”

“You make a good point, Cuz,” Kono agreed.

“How did you get so smart?” Danny asked him.

“Lots of little sisters. Even more little cousins,” Kamekona reminded them. “Kono would have knifed somebody if her bedroom was painted pink.”

They all looked at Kono who just blushed very prettily and shrugged.

“When will she get here?” Jenna asked.

“Next Friday. We’re going to take the day off work. If things work out, we’ll have you over for dinner on Sunday. But we don’t want to overwhelm her,” Danny said sensibly. They all agreed that was an excellent plan and were hoping to meet her on Sunday although they would certainly understand if they were not invited.

“Good thing you hyphenated your names, huh, boss?” Kono said as they discussed the process of Steve and Danny officially adopting Grace.

“Good thing,” Steve agreed with a smile just for Danny.

 


	3. Hard Deaths and Easier Deaths

****It was 8 a.m. precisely when the doorbell rang, Danny and Steve having a second cup of morning coffee as they waited.

“They ring the bell?” Danny asked as he followed Steve into the living room.

“What did you expect?”

“The first one floated in the window,” Danny reminded him.

“That was a Keeper. This will be an Amaranthine with her,” Steve said, opening the door. On their front porch was a middle-aged woman in sensible clothes and sensible shoes, her brown hair pulled in a tight bun at the back of her head. “Hi Sylvia,” Steve said, waving her and the little girl in.

“Steve,” Sylvia said, guiding the reluctant girl into the house. “This is Grace. Grace, this is Steve. And Danny.”

Danny squatted down to be eye-level, smiling at her. “It’s nice to meet you, Grace.”

“You aren’t an Amaranthine,” she informed him.

“No. I am,” Steve said, looking down at her.

“Oh,” she said, looking around the house. “Do you really live on the ocean?”

“Yep. It’s right out there,” Steve said, pointing to the glass doors that led outside.

She nodded, going out the doors, Danny following her. He didn’t know what he was expecting but this wasn’t exactly it.

“She’s a little shell-shocked still,” Sylvia told Steve when Grace was outside, Danny keeping watch.

“Yeah. I understand how that can be,” Steve agreed. “To go from 78 to 6 is quite a challenge.”

Sylvia nodded, handing Steve the backpack that had Grace’s few belongings in it. “Call me if you need anything.”

“I will. Thanks,” Steve said, escorting her back onto the front porch where he watched her drive away in her sensible sedan. He wandered out to the backyard, sitting in the beach chair next to Danny. Grace was standing on the water’s edge, watching the ocean.

“Is she going to be okay?” Danny whispered to Steve.

“Yeah. Last week she was 78. She’s suffering from re-entry.”

Danny nodded like that made perfect sense. Well, in his new reality, it did make sense. Not before but now it did. “Hey,” he said when Grace turned from the ocean to come back to them. She was frowning at Steve, her small arms crossed over her chest.

“I considered drinking hemlock,” she told Steve. On an adult, her expression would have been angry. On her it looked like a pout.

“Hemlock is the only thing that will kill us permanently,” Steve said for Danny’s benefit.

“Not beheading?” Danny asked.

“We aren’t vampires,” Grace said, stomping her foot in the sand.

“I’m sorry. I’m still catching up,” Danny said.

“Why did you want to kill yourself?” Steve asked, his elbows resting on his knees as she considered his question.

Grace took a deep breath, leaning against the arm of his chair. “Aren’t you tired of it? Doing it over and over again? I have to go back to first grade. Fucking hell. Multiplication tables. Cursive handwriting.”

Steve tried very hard not to laugh at her mini-tirade. “We can probably get you into second grade.”

“La-di-fucking-da,” she said. “Coloring inside the lines. I have to go through puberty again. _Puberty._ How many times can I endure zits and starting my period? And cramps? Oh my God. Cramps.” She buried her face in her hands in what Danny thought might be an overly dramatic reaction.

“She’ll start acting six, right?” Danny finally asked Steve in some dismay.

“I’m right here,” Grace reminded him. “I may only look six but my hearing is perfectly fine.”

“I’m sorry. But you can’t go around saying the f-word _and_ pretend you’re six.”

“The _f-word?”_ Grace said, clearly incredulous. “You are a grown-ass man. Say _fuck_ and be done with it.”

“I know you’re frustrated, Grace. But Danno has a point. You have to become six inside and out,” Steve said gently.

“Oh God, Steve,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t know if I can do it.”

“I’m sorry,” Steve said, one hand on her head. “What can we do to help?”

“Get me a drink and a cigarette,” she said.

Steve could only laugh. “You cannot smoke. Not until you are at least 18. And don’t think we won’t know.”

“Then get me a drink,” she requested sincerely. “Please.”

“All right. Since it’s just us. What do you want?”

“A gin and tonic. And use the good stuff,” she ordered, sitting in his chair when he went up to the house.

“You know it’s 8 in the morning,” Danny said.

She shrugged, watching the ocean. “You’d think since we can’t have children I wouldn’t be cursed with my period.”

“That seems a real sore point to you,” Danny observed with a straight face.

“Let me kick you in the balls once a month and see if it doesn’t become a sore point to you,” she said.

“I see what you mean,” Danny agreed, looking up at Steve when he returned with Grace’s gin and tonic.

“Thank you, dear,” Grace said, allowing Steve to pick her up so she was sitting on his lap.

“Are you the Grace Steve knew in Jersey?” Danny asked.

“Yeah. I think I met you once too. When you were still a beat cop,” she said, studying Danny. “You helped me recover my car.”

“Of course,” Danny said with a nod. “Grace Woblanski.”

“That’s me. Or it was. I guess I’m Grace McGarrett-Williams now, huh?”

“You will be in several months. We have to adopt you,” Steve reminded her.

“Yeah. Again with the adoption. Is some dumb-ass social worker going to come and ask me all kinds of dumb-ass questions?”

“Of course,” Steve said. “And you’ll be a very polite _little_ girl and answer all their questions.”

“Or what?” she asked in challenge.

“Or you’ll be grounded until you go to college,” Steve warned her with a kiss on her head.

“You suck.”

“I can vouch for that,” Danny said, stunned as soon as the words were out of his mouth. “Oh. God. I’m sorry.”

Grace giggled at that, shaking her head. “I think I’m going to like it here.”

“Good. We need to take you shopping. You don’t have enough clothes for a week, much less to live here permanently,” Steve said.

“Cut-backs,” Grace said with a shrug. “Apparently immortality isn’t as lucrative as it once was.”

“Do you want to go shopping today? Or tomorrow?” Steve asked.

Grace sipped her drink and shrugged. “Whatever. I think I need to take a nap. I’m not sure I’ve actually slept in the past week.”

“I know what you mean,” Steve said, standing up with her in his arms. “Come on. I’ll show you your room.”

“You’re very tall, aren’t you?” she said, her eyes drifting closed as he carried her inside.

“I am,” he agreed, glancing over at Danny who had come with them. They took Grace to the room that would become hers, settling her in the bed that had been Mary’s who Steve had told Danny was not immortal. Grace was sound asleep by the time they had climbed the steps, Steve and Danny going back downstairs once she was snug in bed.

“Well,” Danny said, sitting on the couch next to Steve. “Is re-entry always this hard?”

“It really depends on the span of years. The more years between your termination and your relocation, the more difficult it is.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Danny said. “Are you angry when you relocate?”

“Sometimes. It also depends on how I died. The bad deaths make relocation harder. The easier deaths make it less trying.”

“There are hard deaths and easy deaths?” Danny asked.

“It’s a lot different when you die from being blown up compared to dying of hypothermia,” Steve pointed out.

“Oh. God. I’m so sorry,” Danny said, leaning against Steve and listening to the comforting beating of his very alive heart.

“You don’t need to be. I’ve died 10 times.”

“Besides hypothermia in Switzerland and a bomb in Iraq, what else happened?” Danny asked with a morbid curiosity he was not proud of rearing its head. But he couldn’t seem to withdraw the question.

“I’ve been blown up twice. I drowned once. That’s one of the reason I became a SEAL. The idea so terrifies me, I vowed to learn to survive in the water. There was the hypothermia in the Alps. I died of old age in Australia. That was kind of nice change of pace.”

“That’s the only time you’ve lived a full life?”

“No. The first time I lived to 48. That was old in the 16th century,” Steve said.

“The other two?” Danny asked.

“I was on the Hindenburg when it blew up. That was pretty gruesome,” Steve said with a shiver. “And once I committed suicide because I wanted to prove to myself I was immortal.”

“What’d you do?” Danny asked although he was pretty sure he did not want to know so why he was asking was really beyond him.

“I took an overdose of sleeping pills. I was 78 so... Maybe I was just tired of that life. I don’t really know why I did it,” Steve said with a shrug. “I hadn’t been living with Jack. I don’t think I’d ever do it with Jack.”

Danny could only shake his head before kissing Steve soundly on the mouth. “Please don’t decide you hate this life.”

“No way could I ever do that,” Steve promised, deepening the next kiss and holding Danny tight against him, enjoying the muscular, compact body pressed to his.

Kissing quickly turned into much more, including demonstrations of just how well and how much Steve _sucked_.  Not for the first time, Danny silently thanked the Navy for teaching Steve how to hold his breath for five minutes. It exponentially increased the enjoyment of receiving a blow job from him. Not that was any such thing as a bad blow job.

They finally made their way upstairs, not wanting to be caught naked by Grace even if she was a 78 year old woman in a six year old body. There were some things no child should see. They quickly showered, peeking in on her when they were dressed. Assured she was still sound asleep, they went downstairs for lunch.

They were just finishing up when Grace came into the kitchen, yawning. Her light brown hair was sticking up and she looked like a typically adorable six year old. “Hey,” she said as she sat at the table.

“Feeling better?” Steve asked as he sat next to her.

“Yeah. I think so. I’m sorry I was so cranky,” she said, laying her head on her folded arms, her feet swinging under the table. “I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

“We understand, babe. You don’t need to worry about it,” Steve assured her.

“Do you want some lunch?” Danny offered.

“I don’t think so. Not yet. Can we go shopping tomorrow?” Grace requested, putting her chin on her arms so she could see Danny and Steve.

“Sure,” Steve agreed. “We’ll buy paint for your room too.”

“Okay,” Grace agreed. “I want it blue. With oceans at the bottom. You know, like a border.”

“Of course,” Danny agreed, giving her a glass of juice which she accepted with a soft _thank you._

“We were thinking of getting a Christmas tree tomorrow,” Steve said. “Would you prefer Danny or I go without you?”

She shook her head, her hair bouncing. “I want to go, please.”

“All right,” Steve agreed. “We’ll need to get you some toys. Even if you don’t play with them, they need to be in the house.”

“I’d like some Barbies,” she requested, sounding more like a typical six year old, much to Danny’s relief.

“Sure,” Steve agreed. “I may have some old GI Joes that can date her.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “Can we go swimming?”

“Do you have a swimsuit?” Danny asked.

“No,” she said, biting her lower lip. It looked like there were going to be tears which Steve wanted to prevent at all costs.

“I bet it would be okay for you to swim in your panties this once,” Steve said, looking at Danny for approval.

“Of course it would,” Danny agreed. “You go put on your trunks, and Grace and I will go out to the ocean.”

“Are you going to swim?” she asked Danny.

“Danno don’t swim,” Steve told her with a laugh as he darted up the stairs before Danny could retaliate.

“You can’t swim?” Grace said, wide-eyed at that.

“I can swim. I choose not to,” he said, standing and holding out his hand. “Come on.”

She nodded, taking his hand and going outside with him. When they were on the sand, he helped her out of her jean shorts and her blue tee-shirt, her blue panties more sensible than he had feared.

“Go ahead,” he said, sitting in one of the chairs. “Don’t go in over your waist.”

She nodded, going down to the water and wading into the water as it lapped at her knees. She laughed, sitting down so it could wash over her to her chin. She looked back at Danny with a bright smile. “You should come in, Danno.”

“I will later,” Danny promised, watching Steve leave the house and cross over to them.

“Danno don’t swim,” Steve repeated as he sat down next to Grace. Danny knew it was wrong to so openly admire Steve’s half naked body as he talked with their soon-to-be daughter but God how gorgeous could one man be with his stupid muscles and his even stupider tattoos? Sitting the way he was, his tramp stamp was in clear view, doing things to Danny that would be considered illegal in at least seven states and Washington DC. Danny shifted in his chair, looking out at the ocean in an attempt to reverse the effects that particular tattoo always had on him.

“I do swim,” Danny finally responded because it was expected. He wasn’t at all surprised when Steve laughed at him before he took Grace’s hand to go with her deeper into the water.

“Watch out for her,” Danny automatically called out, certain Steve intended to keep her safe. But then Super SEAL might forget that she was his responsibility. No. That wouldn’t happen.

Steve did watch out for her as they splashed and swam and dove in the surf. Grace was an unnaturally good swimmer which Danny put down to repeated experience. He wondered how old she really was and if she knew. To his immense relief, she had started acting like a standard six year-old. Was that a conscious decision? Or was she reverting back to six? Steve had said he had learned to act 14. What were the rules for relocation? And who would have guessed immortality could be so complicated?

When Grace decided she’d been in the water long enough, she wandered up to Danny who gave her the fluffy beach towel that she wrapped around herself before sitting in the chair next to him. They both watched Steve swim in silence until Grace turned to Danny.

“Hey Danno?” she said looking up at him.

“Yeah Gracey?”

“I’m glad you took me,” she said, smiling at him with a six year-old’s sunny smile.

“Is that because we live on the ocean?” Danny asked with a laugh.

“That makes it better. I’m mostly glad because you are so much in love with him.”

“Thanks, Gracey,” Danny said, smoothing her hair down with a gentle hand. “We have plenty of love to spare.”

She nodded at that, leaving her chair and tentatively standing in front of him. Recognizing her movements for the request they were, he pulled her into his chair with him, not caring at all that the towel soaked his clothes. Having the warmth of Gracey in his lap was more than enough to make up for damp shorts and tee shirt.

When Steve finally waded out of the water, tired in the best way possible, he found Danny and Grace fast asleep in Danny’s chair. Danny’s arms were wrapped protectively around her, Grace’s head tucked under Danny’s chin. The picture they made melted his heart which was already in danger of imploding from the love he’d found and had never fully experienced before. Not like this.

He went up to the house long enough to pull on a tee shirt and get bottles of water for each of them before settling back in his chair, content to divide his time watching the ocean and his husband and child. This. This was a good life he’d found himself in.

 


	4. Because You Are SIX

“Because you are _only_ six. And a six year old does not need a string bikini,” Danny informed Grace. They had been shopping for two hours and all of their nerves were wearing thin. Not that Grace hadn’t been as patient as any six year-old could hope to be. She had been excited to pick out new clothes, a pile of jeans and tee shirts collecting at the register. At some point she had asked them if she was going overboard, sounding more like she was 78 than 6 but they assured her that she could have as many blue shirts as her heart desired.

It was when they were choosing bathing suits that tempers began to flare. She had already selected three one-piece suits, all in various shades of blue. It was the skimpy bikini that was currently under discussion which became the tipping point.

“But it’s pretty. And it’s blue,” she said, her arms crossed and her lower lip protruding.

“I know that it’s blue, Grace. Just like the other three. And every shirt you’ve picked out so far. And you can have as many blue one-piece suits as you want. You cannot have a string bikini,” Danny said firmly, frowning down at her as she continued to hold the suit, his hands waving more actively than they had up to that point, his agitation making them dance to their own rhythm.

“But I want it,” Grace said, her frown deepening.

“No,” Danny said. It was now a battle of wills, the bikini the excuse rather than the reason.

“Listen,” Steve said, squatting down to Grace’s level. “Danno has a point.” He held up one hand when Grace started to protest. “I know you like it, Gracey. How about this? We’ll buy the ones you picked out so far. We’ll have some lunch and talk about this bathing suit.”

She turned her unhappy gaze from Steve up to Danny and back. After looking at the suit one last time, she surrendered it to Steve who stood up with a nod. When Grace held her arms up to Steve, he easily picked her up and settled her on his hip, his right arm wrapped securely around her. He gave the offending bikini to Danny to return it to the rack with the other age-inappropriate suits.

“I know you’re tired, babe,” Steve said, kissing her head.

“I’m hungry,” she replied into his shirt.

“You two go ahead to the restaurant,” Danny said with an apologetic smile. “I’ll take care of paying and meet you there.”

“Good plan,” Steve agreed, leaning closer to quickly kiss Danny. “We’ll see you shortly.”

“Thank you, Danno,” Grace said softly, looking up at him from under her lashes.

“You’re welcome, Gracey,” he said with a light kiss on her head. “Order me an ice tea? No fruit or funny stuff. Just ice tea.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Steve agreed, laughing with Grace as they left the store.

“She’s a very lucky girl,” the saleswoman said when she appeared seemingly from nowhere.

“So are we,” Danny agreed as the clothes were rung up.

“Only blue?” the woman asked with a smile.

Danny shrugged. If Grace only wanted to wear blue, what did it matter to either of them? Made matching her clothes that much easier as far as he was concerned. When he had paid for the clothes, the saleswoman kindly asked if they had other shopping they planned to do. Shoes, pajamas and panties were still on their list, he admitted.

“Then leave these with me. When you’re ready, I can have one of our stock guys help you to your car.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?” Danny asked in some relief.

“Certainly, Detective McGarrett-Williams. We’re happy to help you out in that small way.”

“It’s not a small way at all. And I really appreciate it,” he said. With a last assurance it was no problem, Danny went down to the Clam Shack where Steve and Grace were waiting.

“Did you decide she didn’t need any new clothes after all?” Steve laughed as Danny sat next to him. Grace was on the other side of the table, coloring the place mat, using various shades of blue. It was a relief to Danny that she was apparently enjoying her artistic endeavor.

“They are holding them for us,” Danny explained. “When we’re finished shopping, we’ll collect all the packages.”

“Makes sense,” Steve agreed. “Should we go to the toy store after this?”

“Barbies,” Grace cheered, beaming up at her two guys.

“It’s settled then,” Steve said. “What other toys do you want?”

“Puzzles.” She frowned, concentrating for a moment. “It’s been a while since I’ve played with toys.”

“I know what you mean,” Steve agreed. “We’ll just look until we find some you like.”

Grace nodded at that, staring off in the distance with an expression that Danny recognized as one Steve had from time to time. Danny figured it meant they were considering a former life or trying to sort out memories from reality.

“Can I ask why you like Barbies so much?” Danny asked, hoping he wasn’t crossing some invisible Amaranthine line.

“I had granddaughters,” she said simply when she turned to Danny, a wistful smile on her face. “Four of them. And six grandsons. I also had 2 great-grandchildren.”

“I’m sorry,” Danny said quietly.

She shrugged, focusing on Steve. “I can keep track of my grandchildren through Facebook. Since I’m dead to them, they won’t know it’s me.”

“How will you _friend_ them?” Danny asked.

“My ‘daughters’ will do it.”

Surprisingly, that made sense to Danny. As much as the rest of his new reality did.

There wasn’t much more time to consider it when the perky waitress came to take their orders, spending way too much time flirting with Steve for Danny’s comfort. Danny glanced at Grace who was also throwing silent daggers at the waitress who was young enough to be their daughter.

Danny silently cheered her on when Grace left her chair and squeezed in between the waitress and the table to stand in front of Steve. “Daddy?” she said in the best six year-old voice she had used since arriving. Danny did an admirable job of not laughing at the expressions that blossomed on Steve’s and the waitress’s faces.

“Yes, Gracey,” Steve responded, finally comprehending what it was she was doing.

“I need to go potty,” she said softly, leaning against his thigh and looking up at the waitress whose expression had become one of dismay.

“Of course,” Steve agreed, lifting Grace and going toward where the waitress had indicated the bathrooms were located. “You are very naughty,” Steve told Grace softly.

“Maybe,” Grace said, hiding her face in his shoulder. “She was out of line.”

“She was fine,” Steve said.

“Danny was going to blow a gasket. Is that the way you are planning to become a widower?” she asked, making Steve laugh.

“Stop being an old woman,” Steve said, setting her down outside the women’s room. “I guess you really do need to go?”

“Yeah. Good timing though,” she said, entering the restroom as he waited right outside. It didn’t take her long to return, looking up at him.

“You wash your hands?”

She nodded, accepting his hand to return to their table where Danny was scowling at the two of them.

“What?” Steve asked when they were sitting back down.

“You,” Danny said, pointing at Steve, “should have stopped her. And you,” he said, pointing at Grace, “are very good at that.”

Grace giggled, blowing kisses to Danny. “You’re welcome, Danno. You should tell him you’re sorry, Daddy.”

“I’m sorry, Danno,” Steve said, kissing Danny’s cheek.

“Your apology is noted. Acceptance is pending,” Danny informed him not for the first time.

“You let me know now,” Steve said, making Grace giggle again.

Lunch finally finished up after multiple fits of laughter slowed it down considerably. Gracey decided she didn’t want dessert right now, especially with the promise of shaved ice in her future. At one point, she did admit that she was being intentionally stubborn about the bikini and apologized for being such a stupid six year-old. Both her fathers assured her they understood after which they returned to the department store on the hunt for shoes, pjs, and panties, all in various shades of blue.

The next stop was the toy store where she picked out six Barbies and two Ken dolls, plus a couple of _Star Trek_ action figures.

“Don’t you think the new Captain Kirk is dreamy?” she asked Danny as Steve went to find the GI Joes he was sure were in the store somewhere. Danny said he could have one as long as the explosives and artillery that came in the package were _not_ real.

“Dreamy,” Danny agreed, accepting the Captain Kirk action figure, and the Mr. Spock action figure, because no way could Captain Kirk live at their house without his Vulcan First Officer to keep him out of trouble.

“Not as dreamy as you and Steve,” she said, trying to reach up for a Lt. Uhura doll.

“Thank you,” Danny said with a smile, handing down the Lt. Uhura action figure to her. “Don’t you want the rest of the command crew?”

“I didn’t want to go overboard,” she said reasonably as Danny accepted the other four Starfleet officers. “Steve would be in Starfleet if it was real.”

“Yeah he would. He’d be wreaking mayhem across the galaxy instead of confining it to Hawaii.”

“Would you be his First Officer?” Grace asked as they went toward the armed forces section of the store.

“Starfleet might not take me,” he said, watching from the end of the aisle as Steve studied the GI Joes with the intensity he generally reserved for choosing the new armaments the governor had promised to pay for, no questions asked, even though Danny had on several occasions _begged_ her to ask Steve why he needed a grenade launcher _and_ a flame thrower.

“Yes they would,” Grace said with such certainty he had no choice but to believe her.

Steve heard their conversation, turning to grin at them and catching Gracey when she ran over to him. “Did you find all the Barbies you need?”

“Uh huh. And we’re getting the Enterprise crew too,” she told him.

“The aircraft carrier?” Steve asked with a frown.

“The Starship Enterprise,” Danny corrected, holding up the Kirk action figure.

“Oh. Right, right,” Steve said, still frowning with his _you know I was fighting in a war instead of watching TV_ face.

“Oh. My. God. Do not tell me you’ve never seen _Star Trek_???” Danny said, the superfluous question marks clearly audible.

“Well,” Steve said with a shrug.

“Steve,” Grace squealed, making Steve flinch. “They are da bomb.”

“I guess I’m behind,” he admitted. “Is this the TV show from the 60s?”

“That’s old school,” Grace told him. “These are from the way-cool movie.”

“Movie?” Steve repeated like he didn’t know the meaning of the word.

Danny sighed and shook his head. “When we get home, we are going to find it live streaming and we’re all going to watch it.”

“Okay,” Steve agreed, handing Danny the three GI Joes he had selected, all in various degrees of scary, warrior-like attire.

“Three?” Danny asked, looking down at their ferocious expressions.

“Gracey has 15,” Steve pointed out, gesturing at the basket Danny was holding.

“Grace is _six_ ,” Danny said in fond exasperation.

Steve just shrugged, sharing a conspiratorial wink with Grace.

“I am in so much trouble,” Danny realized as he went up the register, Steve and Grace trailing behind.

After leaving the toy store, they went to get shaved ice, Grace choosing cherry, Steve and Danny graciously refusing Kamekona’s offer to try the new flavor he was experimenting with. Eggnog shaved ice was not something either of them had the need to experience.

As Grace was enjoying her treat, Kamekona came and sat with them, studying her with a smile. “You sure are a cute little girl.”

Danny held his breath, sending up a silent prayer. This was the first time one of their friends had met her. It was one more hurdle for them all to overcome.

Grace looked up at Kamekona with a perfect six year-old’s shy smile. “Thank you,” she said softly before turning her attention back to her shaved ice.

“We’re thinking of having some friends over for lunch tomorrow, including Kamekona. What do you think of that idea?” Steve asked, more behind the question than was obvious to the emperor of shaved ice.

“That would be fun,” Grace agreed with a happy nod. “Will they go swimming with us?”

“Of course,” Steve said. “Kono will bring her surfboard. Do you want to learn to surf?”

“Yes,” Grace said brightly. “Do you surf?”

“I do,” Steve agreed.

“Not Danno,” Grace said sadly, shaking her head.

Steve and Kamekona laughed, ignoring Danny’s indignant response. “If you can’t swim, you can’t surf,” Steve reminded him.

“I can swim,” Danny said firmly, frowning when they laughed again.

“All right, Danno,” Steve said, looking past the shaved ice stand to the new white picket fence that had appeared since the last time they had visited. “What’s with the fence, _brah_?”

“Christmas trees,” Kamekona said proudly. “Diversionication.”

“Diversification you mean?” Danny asked, Kamekona ignoring him.

“I don’t see any trees,” Steve said, studying the corral made by the fences.

“Be here tomorrow morning. Having them flown in special,” Kamekona explained.

“Great,” Steve said. “You can bring us a tree when you come over tomorrow.”

“Sure thing. Then we can help decorate it,” the large man agreed.

“Make it a good one, big guy. Not some pathetic Charlie Brown misfit,” Danny requested.

“Charlie Brown?” Steve asked. Danny was pretty sure he was kidding but chose to ignore him all the same.

“I’m on it, Jersey,” Kamekona assured him, going back into his shaved ice shack to shout at one of his many cousins working there.

 “He’s funny,” Grace decided, drinking some of the syrup from the bottom of her cup.

“He’s something,” Danny said, Steve laughing. “Call the guys and tell them to come.”

“By guys you mean Kono and Jenna too?” Steve asked, making Danny frown at him. “I’m on it.”

“Are you the boss of him?” Grace asked as Steve wandered away, taking out his phone to call Chin.

“At home. At work he’s the boss of me. At least I let him pretend he is,” Danny told her in a loud whisper.

Grace nodded like that made all the sense in the world. “Where am I going to school?”

“We enrolled you in a private school. Like a Montessori Academy but not exactly. It’s self-paced but you still have to act mostly like a six year-old.”

Grace sighed but nodded. “I know. The longer I’m here, the more six I feel.”

“Is that hard on you?” Danny asked, again hoping he wasn’t crossing that invisible Amaranthine line.

“In some ways,” she said sounding weary as only a 78 year-old could sound. “After a while, you get used to it. The world keeps changing so it’s never boring. This will be my first time in grade school with computers.”

Danny nodded at that, looking up at Steve when he returned to them. “All set?”

“Sure are. They’ll be there noonish. You ready to go?” he asked Grace.

“Uh huh. That was really good,” she said as she threw away her bowl.

“We were just talking about school,” Danny said as they went to Steve’s truck, Steve helping Grace into the backseat.

“Do they wear uniforms?” she asked as Steve strapped her in.

“You’ll get them on Monday when you go,” Steve told her, getting into the front seat.

“You two are taking me?”

“Danny is. I have a meeting with the Governor first thing Monday morning,” Steve said.

“’Kay,” Grace agreed, yawning as soon as Steve had the truck on the road. It was not many minutes later that she was sound asleep.


	5. There Are No Jedi

More easily than any of them thought possible, their lives fell into an easy routine. They dropped Grace off at school on their way to 5-0 headquarters, one of them usually available to pick her up by 5. On the days the guys couldn’t get there, Chin, Kono, or Jenna generally could. If all else failed, Kamekona picked her up or she went home with Alicia, her ‘bestest friend in the whole wide world.’ That both Alicia and her mom had a not-so-secret crush on Grace’s fathers only made the seeming imposition not one at all for which the guys were immensely grateful.

Grace became more and more a standard six year-old the longer she was with them. The only exception was the occasionally gin and tonic that they allowed her if they were home by themselves. She didn’t ask for one often, most generally when her old memories were too present and she couldn’t seem to sort them satisfactorily. Steve understood all too well how she felt and confided to Danny that there were times when he resorted to anesthesia of a different sort - the illegal kind that may have been growing in a small, carefully disguised plot in the backyard. Danny knew he should have been more upset that Steve was growing marijuana but Danny had never known him to be high or even smell of it so it was a complete nonissue to him. Even if he had caught Steve smoking red-handed, he would never say anything to him. He was, as Grace pointed out, a grown-ass man, fully capable of making his own decisions.

Things at 5-0 were never boring, a new case keeping them busy just as soon as the previous one wrapped up. On this particular Tuesday, they were trying to tie up the last of the loose ends on a drug bust. It had been pretty routine for them even if they had seized more cocaine in one haul than the HPD had in the last ten years.

“That’s why I created 5-0,” Governor Jameson proudly told the news reporters crowded around her as she was leaving the Palace.

“How do we do all the work but she takes the credit?” Danny asked no one in particular as the team watched her leave the foyer from the upstairs balcony, the press trailing behind like so many puppies looking for one more treat.

“That’s how it is, _brah,_ ” Chin said philosophically. “You don’t become a cop for the glory.”

“That’s for damn sure,” Danny agreed, turning to go back to their offices. Steve went into his office as Danny went into his own. Danny had just sat behind his desk when Steve came in, his face a frighteningly pale shade Danny had never seen before. “What’s wrong?” Danny asked, standing to intercept Steve.

Steve held out one shaking hand to Danny, an ancient photo clutched tightly. Danny accepted the tattered sepia photo, gasping when he saw it. It was a picture of Steve in a Civil War uniform. And it appeared to be an original, signed by M. Brady.

“Holy fuck,” Danny breathed, sitting down next to Steve. “Holy fucking fuck.”

“Yeah,” Steve said breathlessly. “Someone knows, Danny. Somebody knows who I am and they want me to know they know.”

“Where did this come from?”

Steve wordlessly handed him a plain white envelope with a printed label. _Commander McGarrett_ was all that was on it. “It wasn’t in my office when we went to see the Governor leave. I come back and it’s on my chair.”

“Okay. Okay,” Danny said, thinking as quickly as he could with the white noise in his head. “We have security cameras on all of our offices. We’ll pull the footage. It can’t be too hard to figure out who did this.”

Steve nodded, still too pale and breathless. Danny looked up at Chin as he knocked and entered.

“Everything okay?” Chin asked.

“Yeah,” Danny lied. He didn’t like not telling him the truth but right now they didn’t have any choice.

“We need to tell them,” Steve said very quietly to Danny, momentarily ignoring the worried look on Chin’s face.

“Are you sure, babe? Is that what you want?” Danny asked, studying Steve’s face.

“I’m sure. Should have already,” Steve said.

“All right. They can help,” Danny agreed.

Steve nodded, looking up at Chin. “Can you bring Jenna and Kono to meet us in the conference room?”

“You got it,” Chin said, curiosity radiating off of him. But he would wait until they were in the conference room because that’s the way Steve wanted it.

“We’ll figure it out. Especially with their help,” Danny said, trying to reassure Steve and himself equally.

“Yeah,” Steve agreed, watching the others go into the conference room. “Do we tell them the truth about Grace?”

“We should,” Danny agreed. “If someone is threatening to ‘out’ you, they might know about Grace too.”

Steve nodded. “Call her school, please. Just to make sure.”

Danny did it, talking to the principal and telling her that Steve had received a veiled threat. They did not want to alarm Grace but if her teachers could be extra vigilant, it would ease their minds. The principal naturally agreed, assuring the Detective that all precautions would be taken.

Danny hung up, watching Steve who was staring down at the incriminating photo. “I’m pretty sure one of the island Amaranthines was relocated last night,” Steve said.

“I’m sorry,” Danny said. “You felt it?”

“Remember when Grace woke up and told us she had a bad dream?”

“Yeah,” Danny said.

“I had the same dream. That usually means a relocation.”

“Do you think it’s somehow related to this picture?” Danny asked.

“Chin says it takes a lot of planning for that type of coincidence,” Steve said.

“Chin is a wise, scary man,” Danny said, going out of his office with Steve. They entered the conference room together, making sure the doors closed behind them. “You swept for bugs, right?” he asked Chin when they were all seated. Steve was pacing but that was nothing new. He could rarely sit still when they were meeting and they were accustom to his relentless energy.

“Yesterday,” Chin confirmed.

“Do you want to go over the room first?” Danny asked Steve who stopped pacing long enough to shake his head. “All right.”

Steve took a deep breath, looking at the four faces watching him, three of them intensely curious, one intensely worried. “I need your help.”

“Of course, Boss. Anything,” Kono said.

“Before I ask for your help, I have to tell you something that up to now only a handful of people knew.” Steve stopped, looking at Danny who nodded in encouragement. “Danno figured it out on his own. I should have told you but…” he shrugged, seeing their confusion growing.

“What is it, Steve? You know we got your back,” Chin assured him on behalf of them all.

“I’m…well… the fact is… uhm….” Steve finally stopped, looking at Danny with a lost and nearly hopeless expression.

“What Steve is trying to say is that he is immortal,” Danny said evenly. It took a moment for the words to register with the others, stunned disbelief replacing concern and curiosity.

“Excuse me?” Jenna finally said into the silence.

“No way,” Kono said, shaking her head. She looked like she was ready to laugh just as soon as Steve or Danny let them in on the joke.

“Immortal,” Chin said, trying out the word to see how it tasted.

“I’m an Amaranthine,” Steve said, slowly sitting in the vacant chair next to Danny.

“An Amaranthine,” Jenna repeated in surprised awe. “I didn’t think they… er… you were real.”

“You’ve heard of them?” Kono asked her.

“Rumors. I thought they were urban legends. Or regular legends. You’re telling me they are real?”

“Very real,” Steve said, looking down at the photo in his hand. He put it on the table, sliding it over to them, Kono, Jenna, and Chin leaning closer to peer at it. The surprise on their faces was what he had expected.

“That’s you?” Chin asked unable to believe his own eyes.

“It is,” Steve confirmed.

“You fought in the Civil War,” Kono whispered.

“Yes,” Steve said. “I was on the Hindenburg when it exploded. I was killed in an avalanche in Switzerland. I was blown up in Iraq.” He stopped, lifting his eyes to look at them. He found curiosity and some doubt. But no anger, to his relief.

“You died but you’re here,” Kono said, reaching out to touch his hand as though she needed the reassurance from the warmth radiating from his skin.

“When an Amaranthine’s Human form dies, we are relocated. I revert to 14 each time I die,” Steve explained, his voice growing in strength and certainty. He had been wrong to doubt that they would accept him for what he really was. They were his _ohana._ Of course they would not judge him or think differently of him.

“14,” Chin said, considering that.

“I was 14 when I was transformed,” Steve said. “I know most people associate immortality with vampires. They never age.”

“ _Not_ that they are real,” Danny interjected, none of them sure if he was kidding or not.

“According to vampire lore,” Steve continued, “if you are turned at 23, you remain 23 until you are killed. Generally by beheading. Some stories include stakes and silver bullets.” He stopped, waving a hand in a gesture of dismissal they all recognized as inherited from Danny. “I became an Amaranthine when I was 14. Every time my Human form dies, I’m relocated and start over as a 14 year-old. I’ve lived in Hawaii since I was relocated at 14 after dying in Iraq.”

“So you’ve only lived here 21 years,” Chin said, thinking it through.

“Yes. Jack adopted me when I was relocated. When Hesse killed Jack’s Human form, he was relocated to Cleveland. My friend Jack who came to our wedding was also my father Jack,” Steve explained.

“I knew there was something strangely familiar about him,” Chin said in realization. “But I could never place it. Since I never knew him as a 23 year-old, I never put two and two together.”

“Wait,” Jenna said. “So Jack’s immortal too?”

“Yes,” Steve said. “Grace is also an Amaranthine.”

“No dead cousins in Jersey,” Danny confirmed because it was clear they were all thinking it.

“And you start over in the same body,” Kono said, looking again at the picture.

“Yes,” Steve agreed. “It would be easier if we looked different each time but that’s not how it works.”

“And you remember all your former lives?” Jenna asked.

“All of them,” Steve said with a tired nod.

“How old are you?” Kono asked, looking from the picture to Steve and back to the photo.

“I was born in 1477,” Steve said softly.

“No fucking way,” Kono said, clasping her hands over her mouth when she realized what she had said. “That was so not professional.”

“Total fucking way,” Steve said, making Kono laugh. “Grace was born in 1332. At least that’s when she thinks she was born. Records are hard to come by in the times before printing was common. Before she came to live with us, she was a 78 year-old resident of New Jersey.”

“Well,” Jenna said, taking a deep breath. “This is something.”

“I know,” Steve said. “It took Danno a while to get used to the idea. He figured it out before we were married.”

“Would you have married him without telling him?” Kono asked, knowing the question was completely inappropriate. But it still seemed fitting somehow to ask.

“No - I would have told him first,” Steve said. “And he’s the first person I’ve married.”

“Really?” Jenna asked in surprise.

“I didn’t want widows mourning me all over the world. I mean, I’m usually in the military where dying is more likely. It never seemed fair to leave behind those wives.”

“That makes sense,” Chin confirmed. “The Navy knows?”

Steve confirmed that they did, explaining as he had to Danny. “The reason I’ve had to tell you is that this photo appeared on my desk in the time we were on the balcony watching the Governor.”

“It just appeared?” Chin asked, picking it up to study again.

“In this envelope,” Steve said. “I can only guess that someone knows I’m an Amaranthine and this is a warning. If they ‘out’ me, they will ‘out’ Grace and it will endanger you. It’s only right that I tell you if the truth is going to put you in harm’s way.”

“Here,” Chin said, leaning over the table to type on the virtual keyboard. “I’ll access our security footage.”

“Where would anyone have gotten this photo?” Jenna asked, picking it up from where Chin had left it.

“An Amaranthine could have had it since the day it was printed,” Steve pointed out.

Jenna turned it over, looking for any possible clues as to where it could have been stored before it ended up on Steve’s desk. “We need to analyze it and see if it’s authentic.”

“Good point,” Danny said. “It could be a fake.”

“Would that matter?” Kono asked. “They still sent it as warning.”

Steve nodded, looking over at Chin when he said he had the visuals from the cameras trained at Steve’s door. With a few clicks of the magic keyboard, the recording was playing on the screen. “There,” he said, pointing at the figure dressed in black from head to toe including a black ball cap that obscured the person’s face.

“They knew about the cameras,” Kono said, watching intently as the figure avoided detection as he or she slipped into Steve’s office to emerge only seconds later.

“So that’s a bust,” Danny said.

“Somebody in this building must have noticed a stranger dressed in all black,” Jenna said. “Even coming up the back stairwell you have to pass at least six or seven desks.”

“We have access to those cameras,” Chin said, typing into the virtual keyboard. He queued up each of the cameras, playing back all of the recordings from the time they left their offices to the time they returned. Two of the recordings showed the same shadowy figure, none showing the person’s features any clearer. They could not tell if it was a man or a woman, an adult or a child.

“What about outside? They must have gotten here somehow,” Danny said to Chin. With a nod, Chin pulled up the outside surveillance cameras. They showed no strange activity, no figures all in black emerging from any of the cars parked around the building. “It had to be someone already inside the building.”

“I don’t guess we can search every desk for black gloves and a black ball cap, huh?” Steve asked, watching the replay of the security cameras.

“They would ditch them,” Kono said. “Bathrooms.”

They all left the conference room in a rush, dividing the building and going into all of the bathrooms. Danny wouldn’t let Steve go by himself, ignoring his protests that it was safer for Steve to inspect the bathrooms since Steve was _immortal_.

“Shut up,” Danny said as they entered the third men’s room in their half of the building. Steve took off the rounded top of the trash can, the black hat and gloves half buried in soiled paper towels.

“No clothes,” Steve said, pulling out a pair of rubber gloves from one of the many pockets in his cargo pants. When he had them on, he removed the hat and gloves, staring down at them.

“What? Is there something familiar about them?” Danny asked. They looked like a hat and gloves that could have been purchased anywhere, nothing noteworthy about them. The gloves were the stretchy type that fit themselves to the wearer’s hands. They gave no hint as to the build of the person who had them on.

“The person wearing these was an Amaranthine,” Steve said.

“You can tell that from those?”

“I can feel it.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Danny asked. “So the person is still wearing the clothes as far as we can tell.”

“Yeah. But if they left the hat here, they had to pass two cameras to get out of the building.”

“Would you know if the Amaranthine was still in the building?” Danny asked as he followed Steve out of the bathroom and back upstairs.

“No. If I saw him, I would know. But we can’t contact each other.”

“Then you aren’t really a Jedi,” Danny said.

“I told you there is no such thing,” Steve reminded him with a frown. “And they don’t communicate telepathetically.”

“There is also no such thing as immortality,” Danny pointed out as they reentered the conference room. Chin was there, studying the surveillance tapes.

“Where are Jenna and Kono?” Steve asked.

“Not sure,” Chin said, looking up at Steve. “You find those in the bathroom?”

“Ground floor. The one closest to the kitchen,” Steve said, putting the items down on the table and backing away from them.

Chin typed on the table, the tape from the camera closest to the kitchen playing on the screen.

“There,” Danny said, pointing at the screen. “That’s the person.” The figure was no clearer in that tape despite the fact that the hat and gloves had been discarded. They barely looked away from the screen as Jenna and Kono came in, Kono carrying a pair of black tennis shoes.

“We found these out by the dumpster,” Jenna said.

Steve reached out and lightly touched one of the shoes, nodding. “Same one.”

Danny explained what Steve had said about their mystery person being an Amaranthine, the others looking even more worried at the news.

“What now, Boss?” Kono asked, sitting in the chair as they watched a replay of the tapes. They found nothing new in them and Steve shook his head.

“I have no idea. The Civil War picture is clearly a warning.”

“Or a threat,” Danny said, picking it up again. “How can we find out if it’s authentic?”

“Charlie Fong can figure it out,” Kono said, picking it up.

“Good. You go talk to him,” Steve agreed, looking at his watch. “Come on, Danno. Let’s go get Grace.”

“It’s not 2:30 yet,” Jenna pointed out.

“No. But if someone is threatening Steve, they could use Grace to get to him,” Danny said, the others nodding in understanding.

When they got to Grace’s school, they stopped by the principal’s office, telling her that they would feel better having Grace with them. They would be returning to HQ, the safest place they could think of to have Grace. She said that she understood their need to have her close and since she was well ahead of the others in her class, it would not be disruptive for her to miss the rest of the day.

Steve and Danny silently went down the hallway to Grace’s classroom, peeking in the window. They could not see Grace from their vantage point and knocked on the door. It wasn’t long before Grace’s teacher came to open it, looking worried at the identity of the visitors.

“Commander, Detective,” she said, stepping into the hallway and pulling the door almost closed behind her. “The principal said that you had been threatened.”

“Yes ma’am,” Steve confirmed. “We know Grace is safe but….”

“I understand, Commander. I’ll let her know you are here,” Mrs. Wilson told them, going back into the class. It wasn’t long before Grace came to the door with Mrs. Wilson, the teacher handing Danny Grace’s backpack. “We’ll see you tomorrow, dear.”

“Bye,” Grace said, waiting until the door closed before looking up at Steve. “What’s wrong?”

He leaned down to pick her up, wrapping his strong arms tightly around her.

“I’m okay, Steve. What’s wrong?” she asked, some of her 78 year-old past self in the question.

Steve explained about the picture, making sure he wasn’t overwhelming her six year-old mind. They also told her that they had told the others the truth about Steve and Grace being Amaranthines.

“It’s good you told them. Did they take it okay?” she asked, looking at Danny.

“They took it in stride,” Danny confirmed. “Very little surprises them. Especially where Super SEAL is concerned.”

“Yeah,” Grace said, one of her small hands resting on Steve’s cheek. “It can’t be a coincidence that there was a relocation last night.”

“It does seem likely they are connected,” Danny confirmed.

“What are you going to do?” Grace asked, looping her arm around Steve’s neck.

“The first thing we are going to do is take you to 5-0 HQ,” Steve said. “Chin, Kono and Jenna are still investigating, checking to see if the photo is real.”

With that, they all piled into Steve’s truck for the drive back to the Palace, Steve keeping an almost continual eye on the rearview mirrors.

“Are we being tailed?” Danny asked, turning around to look out the back of the truck.

“No,” Steve said, glancing over at Danny and saying volumes in that one silent glance.

“You’ll figure it out, Daddy,” Grace said, looking out her window with a tiny frown on her face.

“I know, Gracey. I just don’t want anything to happen to you or our _ohana.”_

“You and Danno will find who did it,” Grace said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself as much as her fathers.

“We will, babe,” Danny agreed, reaching over to put his hand on Steve’s arm. Steve nodded, pulling into the lot and parking next to Chin’s Harley. When they were back upstairs, Chin was reviewing the tapes in the bullpen, Jenna and Kono not back from the labs yet.

“Find anything?” Steve asked, Grace in Danny’s arm. They watched the tapes, Grace staring at them as though mesmerized by what she was witnessing.

“What is it, Gracey?” Danny asked, Grace’s body unnaturally tense in his arms.

“I know that person,” Grace said, her voice distant, her face thoughtful. “I don’t know who it is but I know I’ve met them.”

“Steve said it’s an Amaranthine,” Danny said, Grace nodding.

“Did you find any of their…stuff?” Grace asked.

“We have it in the conference room,” Steve said. Danny put Grace down so that she could take Steve’s hand and go with him, Danny following. Once inside, Grace stared at the hat, gloves, and shoes, seeing more than articles of clothing. She very slowly approached, standing on her toes to see the surface of the table. Danny picked her up, letting her lean over to touch the hat with one finger. She drew back like the brim had burned her.

“What is it?” Steve asked, studying her.

Grace shook her head, leaning over to barely touch the heel of the right shoe before straightening in Danny’s arms. “I’ve met them.”

“Do you have any idea if it’s a man or a woman?” Danny asked.

“No,” Grace said. “But if I saw the person, I’d know it was them. That’s not any help.”

“It is a help, Gracey,” Danny said, kissing her on the head. “If you think of anything at all that might help, no matter how small, be sure and tell us, okay?”

“I will,” she promised solemnly.

Through the windows of the conference room, they could see Kono and Jenna return with the incriminating picture in a clear evidence bag. They left the room to join them by the table in the bullpen.

“Well?” Danny asked gesturing at it with the hand not holding Grace close to his body.

“It’s real,” Kono said breathlessly. “Printed in 1864. Charlie said probably Pennsylvania from the residual water and minerals.”

Steve shook his head. “I was in Maryland.”

“That’s close enough,” Chin said, staring down at the computer table.

“Did he ask what Steve was doing in a picture from the Civil War?” Danny asked.

Kono shook her head. “We said you found it in with some of your father’s things. You think it’s your great-great-great-grandfather?”

Steve nodded at that, focusing on Chin who was studying the surveillance tapes with an unnerving intensity. “What?”

“There’s something here that isn’t adding up.” Chin replayed a part of the tape, skipping forward to a later section.

“Besides the Boss being hundreds of years old?” Kono asked, smiling innocently at Steve. If he had any plans to be mad at her, that smile defused the anger. It always did.

Chin waved at the tapes, again rewinding the one that had been playing. “Look at the time stamp.” They watched the figure enter their outer office before slipping into Steve’s office. The first appearance of the person was at timestamp1:14:22. When the unknown Amaranthine emerged from the bathroom by the kitchen without the hat or gloves, the stamp was 1:04:41.

“That’s in reverse,” Danny said for them all, looking over at Steve.

“A Rogue,” Steve breathed, his face hard and pale.

“A time traveler,” Grace agreed in a tiny voice. “Oh Daddy.”

“I know, baby,” Steve said, placing a hand on her head as though to protect her.

“What? What are you talking about?” Jenna asked, her voice scared because of the expressions on the faces of Steve, Danny, and Grace.

“There are Amaranthines who can travel outside of time,” Steve explained. “It’s not permitted. And it’s rare that anyone can do it. But when you live hundreds of years, some can learn to manipulate time. The Keepers try to prevent it but aren’t always successful.”

“Keepers?” Kono repeated, the question they all had etched on their faces.

“They are the ones who…monitor us,” Steve said. “They take care of the relocations. Danny said they are like our guardian angels, but that’s not exactly right.”

“Can you contact them? Ask them about this Amaranthine?” Jenna asked, as breathless as the rest.

“It doesn’t work that way. They appear to us but we can’t summon them,” Steve said.

“They’ll know about this Rogue, won’t they, Steve?” Grace asked from she was clinging to Danny in an almost fierce embrace.

“I hope so, Gracey.”

“Just so we’re all on the same page here,” Kono said, “we are dealing with an immortal who can time travel which is going to make it almost impossible to find this person who knows the truth about you and wants you to know they know.”

“That’s about it,” Steve said tensely.

“What do we do now?” Kono asked.

“We investigate just like we would any case. We work on our other cases. We hope to God that the Rogue doesn’t expose us,” Steve said.

They all nodded even though they did not like the situation. It made them feel helpless and frightened though they would never admit it even to themselves. It also made them even more vigilant. When their _ohana_ closed ranks, harming any one of them would become that much more difficult.

Danny took Grace into his office with him, some of her toys stored in a box in the corner. She wasn’t interested in acting like a six year-old, not that Danny could blame her. He sat her on his lap as he worked on finishing up a report from the drug bust, Grace alternating between watching him type and watching Steve through the intervening windows.

“Daddy’s worried,” Grace said, biting her lower lip.

“I know, baby. We all are.”

“If somebody tells, what would happen to us?”

“I don’t know,” Danny admitted. “I would imagine you’d be taken to a super secret location so scientists could figure out how you are immortal.”

“We don’t even know,” she said.

“I know that,” Danny sighed. “Steve said he was transformed when his real mother’s Amaranthine sister cried because he was dying of the plague. If the bad guys find a way to extract your tears, they could make a whole army of immortals.”

Grace shook her head at that. “It doesn’t work like that, Danno.”

“It doesn’t? It wasn’t his aunt’s tears that transformed him?” Danny asked, a frown drawing his eyebrows together.

“Her tears did it,” Grace said. “But only because she loved him. If somebody I don’t love gets my tears, it doesn’t work.”

“Are you sure?” Danny asked.

“Uh huh. In one of my old lives….” She leaned harder against his solid body and buried her face in his shoulder, not saying anything else.

“I’m sorry,” Danny said, kissing her head. “I think I understand.”

“Crying would make _you_ immortal.”

“That’s good to know but I don’t think I want to live forever. Unless I was sure you and Steve would always be my family.”

“I wish it worked that way,” Grace said with a heavy sadness in her voice.

“I’m sorry,” Danny repeated although he knew they were just words and brought no real comfort. He wished there was something he could do to lessen her pain but it had accumulated for 800 years. He couldn’t wish that away, nor did he believe she would want him to if he were able.

“I’m going to see Daddy,” she said, leaving Danny’s lap.

“All right,” Danny acknowledged, watching as she left his office and crossed over to Steve’s. Steve lifted her into his lap, holding her in his arms as she lay her head on his shoulder. Steve met Danny’s eyes across the intervening space, much said in the silence they shared.

 


	6. The Forsaken Ones

“It’s nearly 6,” Danny said from the door of Steve’s office. The other team members had already left, taking advantage of the relative quiet to have the time to themselves. They would be back early the next morning and stay through the night if it were required.

Steve nodded, reaching around Grace to close down his laptop. “Are you hungry, Monkey?”

“Uh huh,” Grace confirmed. “What are we having for dinner?”

“What do you want?” Danny asked, one hip leaning against the edge of Steve’s desk as he studied her, love reflected in the blue of his eyes.

“Macaroni and cheese,” she decided, looking up at Steve. “Danno has some brussels sprouts he can make for you.”

Steve laughed and shook his head. “Thank you but no. It’s my night to cook and I will make you macaroni and cheese.”

“Will you eat it?” Grace asked as she left his lap to take Danny’s hand.

“Doubt it,” Steve said, following them out and down the steps. “Who is that?” he asked Danny when they were in lobby. He nodded toward a woman he had never seen before with long black hair wearing a well tailored business suit that did nothing to hide her fine figure underneath. She was walking away from them, her steps quick and purposeful.

“Laura Hills,” Danny said. “She’s new in the Governor’s office. Why? Do you recognize her?”

“I don’t think so,” Steve said, looking down at Grace. “Do you?”

Grace shook her head, frowning. “She might be an Amaranthine.”

“I thought the same,” Steve said, starting off in the direction that Laura Hills had gone. “I’m going to find her.”

“For what, Steve?” Danny asked, reaching out a hand to stop him. “What does it matter if she is one?”

“She could be the one who left the picture,” Steve said, gesturing the way she had gone.

“She’s too tall. And her hair is too long,” Danny said.

“But she’s still may be one,” Steve said, impatient to trail her.

“Okay, babe. We’ll talk to her tomorrow. You can find out for sure then. You don’t need to stalk her tonight.”

“I’m not planning to stalk her,” Steve said in some anger. “I just want to talk to her.”

“And you can tomorrow. Right now we need to go home and feed Grace.”

“Why are you being so stubborn about this? She might know what’s going on,” Steve said, impatience in every tense line of his body.

“You aren’t even sure she is one. And the building is practically empty. I don’t think we need to try finding her tonight. If she is immortal, she’ll be here tomorrow,” Danny pointed out sensibly.

“The building is safe. I’ll be right back,” Steve said, bolting toward the hallway where Laura Hills had disappeared. Danny could only shake his head, looking down at Grace.

“Your daddy is a goof,” he said affectionately.

“Uh huh. He can’t help it,” she reminded Danny.

“I know he can’t. Let’s go wait outside. Get some air,” he suggested, Grace’s hand firmly in his as they went out to where the truck was parked. They leaned against it, watching the building for any signs of Steve’s appearance. It was only a minute later that he emerged, _Aneurysm face_ on full display.

“Don’t even start with me,” Danny said, one hand up in self defense.

“If you hadn’t stopped me, I’d have found her,” Steve retorted, arms crossed over his chest.

“Your super SEAL tracking abilities failed you?” Danny asked, knowing he was being snarky. But it had been a long day already and all he wanted to do was go home with his husband and daughter and have a Longboard. Or six.

“My stubborn partner failed me. Failed to let me talk to her,” Steve snapped at Danny.

“Why isn’t tomorrow soon enough? She isn’t the one that left the picture. You can’t even be sure she’s an Amaranthine.”

“You can’t be sure she isn’t,” Steve replied.

“Oh. So now we’re four? ‘Is not.’ ‘Is so.’ ‘Is not.’ I have three sisters and a brother. This is a contest you cannot win.”

“Shut up and get in the truck,” Steve said, picking up Grace and putting her in the backseat. If she weren’t so used to her fathers talking like that to each other, it would have worried her. But this was a common form of communication between them and she knew it was backed by love and respect as much as it sounded like they were angry.

~o0o~

The next morning, Steve went directly to Governor Jameson’s office to talk to Laura Hills. It turned out she was temporarily off the island but her assistant told Steve that she would ask Ms Hills to call the Commander at her first available opportunity.

Steve was not satisfied with his visit but there was nothing more he could do than leave a message. He went directly into his office, staring across at Danny, frustration simmering. Danny tried to ignore the silent arrows being hurled his way but Steve’s laser anger was impossible to block out.

“All right, all right,” Danny said when he finally crossed over to stand in Steve’s door. Kono and Chin were huddled in Chin’s office, pretending they weren’t eavesdropping on every word coming from the Boss’s office. Jenna had gone back to Washington temporarily, something about explaining her extended absence to her bosses? “I thought we were done. But your face is telling me we aren’t.”

“For the last time, I don’t have a _face._ You have attitude but I don’t have a face,” Steve said through clinched teeth.

“My only attitude is one that wants to protect you, Grace, and our _ohana._ Why is that so hard for you to understand? We aren’t all fearless immortal SEALs.”

“You can’t stand in my way because you think I’m going to get hurt. I know what I’m doing. I thought you understood that by now.”

“You act before you think, Steven. You can’t deny that. You use a cannon when a flyswatter is all you need.”

“I have never used a cannon,” Steve retorted.

“If the Governor had agreed to buy you one, you would have. You’d have used it on every perp we’ve arrested. At the very least, you’d have blown down six or seven warehouses.”

“Maybe,” Steve was forced to agree with his kicked puppy dog look. Danny knew he’d made his point, the anger easing out of the air. “All right. I should have waited.”

“Thank you, babe,” Danny said. “You want a cup of coffee?”

“Yeah. Okay,” Steve agreed, going with Danny to the kitchen, bumping shoulders as they went to the coffee pot. “What are the cousins up to?”

“No idea. Avoiding you probably,” Danny said, pouring two steaming cups of coffee, cream and sugar for his, straight up for Steve. “What are you doing today?”

Steve shrugged before leaning down to steal a quick kiss. “Requisitioning a cannon. You want anything?”

Danny just shook his head and went back into his office, aware of Steve’s eyes on him the entire time. He smiled up at Chin when he stood in Danny’s door, Chin studying him with his own particular brand of intensity. Danny was sure that Chin could see through him and already knew all of the secrets even Danny wasn’t aware of hiding.

“You guys okay?” Chin asked.

“We’re good. You meet Laura Hills?”

“I’ve talked to her,” Chin said with a shrug. “She’s tough. Smart. And beautiful. Why?”

“Steve caught sight of her last night and thought she might be an immortal. But he didn’t get close enough to know for sure. Speculated that she might be the one who left him the picture.”

“She’s too tall,” Chin said, Danny agreeing.

“How far back does the facial recognition software go? Could you use it to see if she’s immortal?”

Chin shook his head. “Don’t think so, _brah._ Mostly criminals from the past 10 years.”

“Yeah,” Danny agreed. “Well. It was just a thought.”

“Keep thinking,” Chin laughed as he turned to leave. “That’s what we count on you for.”

“And for Steve to blow shit up,” Danny called after him, Chin’s laughter floating back to him.

~o0o~

Friday night they had a barbeque, Chin and Kono leaving once the food was eaten and the dishes tidied. Grace tried to talk them into staying, telling Kono they could play Barbies even longer if she stayed the night. But Kono graciously declined, telling her she wanted to catch the first waves in the morning.

Danny put Grace to bed a little later than usual, Friday nights an exception to her normal bedtime.

“It doesn’t matter that you’re 800 years old,” Danny told her again. “Right now you are six. And six year-olds need to be in bed.”

She tried pouting at him but her huge yawn ruined the effect. “Okay, Danno,” she conceded, scooting down in the bed so he could cover her up to her chin. Sure she was snug and had no plans to get back up, Danny went downstairs to find Steve sitting in the living room, staring at nothing that Danny could see. Memories was Danny guess.

“Hey babe,” Danny said, sitting next to Steve, pressed close to the warmer, larger body.

“She in bed?” Steve asked with a distant smile.

“Yeah. Tried the ‘I’m 800’ argument with me.”

“It’s been a while since she’s brought that one out,” Steve said, taking a pull from his beer. Danny watched him drink, never tiring of watching the carved muscles of Steve’s neck. Watching was not the only thing he liked - even more he enjoyed licking them and biting them and occasionally sucking on them to mark Steve as his own.

“What are you thinking about?” Danny finally asked, threading his fingers through Steve’s short curls.

Steve turned to meet Danny’s eyes before shrugging. “Life.”

“All the lives you’ve lived?” Danny guessed.

“Not really. This one. How lucky I am. You know,” Steve said with a tiny smile.

“Yeah. I have some idea. If you come upstairs with me, I’ll provide you a demonstration of how lucky I am,” Danny promised, whispering into Steve’s ear.

“Grace asleep?”

“Yep. And if she wakes up, she won’t come in with our door closed,” Danny reminded him. “One advantage of having an 800 year old child.”

“That’s for sure,” Steve agreed, taking Danny’s hand when he stood before him. Danny pulled him upstairs and into their bedroom. After closing the door, they proved that they wouldn’t trade their lives for anyone else’s.

~0~

Steve wasn’t entirely sure what woke him until he turned over, away from Danny’s warm, cozy body snug up against his. Steve frowned at the figure silhouetted against the full moon illuminating the window. “What are you doing here?”

Steve’s voice woke Danny who sat up in order to see who Steve was talking to. He expected it to be a Keeper, maybe come to help them sort out the Rogue that had left the Civil War photo. He did not expect the man in their bedroom to look almost exactly like his husband. “Holy fuck,” Danny whispered, staring at the stranger. He could have been Steve but his face was softer, rounder; his hair long enough to curl into a frame around his face, much like Steve’s would if he ever let it grow out. And where Steve’s complexion was always warmed by the sun, the stranger had an almost eerie paleness to him. “You have a twin brother?” Danny finally asked, his voice strangled.

“No,” Steve said, looking from the stranger to Danny. “This is Mick St. John. Mick, this is Danny.”

“Nice to meet you finally, Danny,” Mick said in a voice almost identically to Steve’s. Except like his face it was also softer, not as staccato. Whoever he was, he hadn’t served in the military like Steve had.

“You know about me?” Danny asked, staring at the other man.

Mick nodded, turning his gaze to Steve. “You never told him.”

“No,” Steve confirmed, looking over at Danny. “Mick is a vampire.”

“Of course he’s a fucking vampire,” Danny said.

“Really?” Steve said. “That’s it?”

“You’re shitting me, right?” Danny asked, his anger rising.

“He’s not,” Mick interrupted. “I am.”

“You don’t look like a vampire,” Danny informed him, still angry for reasons he could not readily name.

“I do when the need arises,” Mick said with a casual shrug.

“What are you doing here?” Steve asked again. “How long have you been in Hawaii?”

“I got here tonight. I’m here because Laura Hills is dead,” Mick said quietly.

“Dead. You mean relocated?” Steve asked, staring at Mick.

“No, Steve. Dead. Someone gave her hemlock.”

“Jesus,” Steve breathed, going as pale as Mick. “Who?”

“That’s why I’m here. To help you figure it out,” Mick told him.

“You know-knew Laura Hills?” Danny had to ask. His head was swimming and he couldn’t seem to make sense of all that was being said. It didn’t especially help him sort it all out when Grace opened the door and came in, smiling up at the man who claimed to be a vampire.

“Hi Mick,” she said to him.

“Hi ya Gracey. You are looking young and beautiful,” Mick told her with a warm smile.

“You are still a flatterer,” she said, climbing onto the bed to squeeze in between her fathers. She kissed Danny softly on the cheek, holding his hand. “It’s okay, Danno. Mick is one of the good guys.”

“He’s a fucking vampire,” Danny said in disbelief.

“I know,” Grace said.

“When did Laura Hills die?” Steve asked Mick, Grace shocked by the news.

“I didn’t feel it. Did you?” Grace asked Steve.

“No. Why didn’t we know?” Steve asked, addressing his question to Mick.

“Hold on a minute,” Danny said, holding up a hand. “Don’t just go talking to each other like I’m not here. I came in in the middle of this movie. How do you know Grace? How do you know Steve? Do all you immortals hang out together? And why do you look almost exactly like Steve?”

“He always talk this much?” Mick asked, a half-smirk on his face that Danny couldn’t believe he recognized.

“Always,” Steve confirmed. “They are fair questions for him to ask.”

“Immortals don’t always hang out together,” Mick said. “I met Steve in one of his former lives. We’ve kept in contact. It’s good to have immortal friends who aren’t vampires.”

“Why?” Danny asked. “How many vampires are there?”

“More than you’d think,” Steve told him.

“Great. Just fucking great,” Danny responded.

“You don’t kiss Grace with that mouth do you?” Mick asked, nearly laughing.

“Why are you here?” Danny demanded, enunciating each word carefully.

“Because with Laura Hills dead, there are 13 Amaranthines in Hawaii,” Mick said.

“Oh fuck,” Steve said, his eyes wide. “I never thought….”

“Oh no no no,” Danny said. “Do not tell me 13 Amaranthines is bad luck. Or that it heralds the apocalypse. Or that only vampires can provide us salvation. I’m not ready to meet my maker if it’s all the same to you. This kind of shit never happens in Jersey. We don’t have tsunamis and we don’t have vampires. Or immortals.”

“You had blizzards. And there are vampires and Amaranthines in New Jersey. You never met any of them…us,” Mick told him calmly.

“With 13 Amaranthines left, the Rogues can wield power over us,” Steve said.

“Then get another one over here. Send one off the island. Make it 12 instead,” Danny said with a thin edge of near hysteria in his voice.

“The worst is that Laura Hills was executed,” Mick reminded them. “Someone gave her hemlock.”

“Are you sure she didn’t decide to kill herself?” Danny asked. “How do you know it was murder?”

“Because I’ve known Laura for 50 years. She wouldn’t have killed herself,” Mick said.

“How old was she?” Grace asked.

“Only 125. She was still becoming accustom to being immortal. But she was having a good time learning what it meant. She would not have committed suicide,” Mick said firmly.

“All right,” Steve said. “We have to find out who killed her. And we have to put down the Rogues before they can tamper with the timeline.”

“Wait. Wait,” Danny said. “How are we going to find who offed her? And when we do, what are we going to do with them? Arrest them for being immortal?”

“Give them hemlock,” Steve said calmly. “That’s the punishment for killing an Amaranthine.”

“Where do you get hemlock?” Danny asked. “The local Walgreens? Behind the counter? Do you have to order off the internet? I’ve never gotten spam offering it at the cheapest rates anywhere.”

“We’ll get it. Don’t worry about it,” Steve said.

“Fine. Fine. I still don’t understand why Mick is here. Or why he looks exactly like you,” Danny said.

“I’m here because the Keepers asked me to come. It’s just a coincidence that I look so much like Steve. We all have doppelgangers. We just happen to both be immortal,” Mick explained.

“The Keepers sent you?” Steve asked, a look of concentration on his face.

“They actually told Josef. Who told me.”

“Josef?” Danny repeated, not sure he wanted to know who he was.

“My best friend,” Mick clarified. “He’s also a vampire. And much older than I am. He’s in contact with the Keepers a lot more often than you’d think.”

“Why?” Danny asked.

“I have no idea,” Mick admitted. “Except there are times when they need a message sent. And vampires are handy messengers. Since we’re immortal too.”

“Why didn’t the Keepers come directly to me?” Steve asked, Danny wondering the same thing.

“Because you would ask too many questions. Questions they can’t answer. Better you get the information second hand,” Mick pointed out.

“All right,” Steve said with a nod. “Have you eaten?”

Mick shook his head. “Can you go to the blood bank?”

“I can try,” Steve said. “I don’t have any contacts here. How long do you have?”

“Six hours if I stay out of the sun.”

“All right,” Steve said. “The freezer is still in the basement. I’ll empty it out for you.”

“You sleep in a freezer,” Danny said, sure he was imagining this entire conversation.

“He’s undead, Danno. He has to sleep where it’s cold.”

“Of course. And if you can’t get blood from the bank?” Danny said to Steve.

“We’ll worry about that if and when we need to,” Steve said, leaving the bed in just his boxers.

“I don’t kill those I feed on,” Mick told Danny evenly.

“That’s reassuring. And for the love of all that is holy, do not bite Grace,” Danny warned.

“I can’t feed on Amaranthines,” Mick said. “Only Humans. And the occasional goat.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Danny said. “Where are you going?”

“To clean out the freezer. Then Mick and I are going to see if we can find the Rogues that killed Laura Hills,” Steve said, pulling on his cargo pants and a fresh polo. He looked underdressed next to Mick who was wearing a button down shirt, immaculate trousers and a duster that was too long and overly conspicuous for Hawaii.

“By yourselves?” Danny demanded, leaving the bed.

“We’re immortal, Danno. We’ll find them and deal with them,” Steve explained. “You need to stay here with Grace.”

“I get that you are immortal, Steven. But if your Human form is killed, I lose you. And I don’t think….” Danny stopped, staring at Steve and needing him to understand what was not spoken.

“I’m not going to get my Human form killed, I promise,” Steve said. “Stay here with Grace. We’ll be back when the sun rises.”

“Right. Because vampires can’t be out in the sun,” Danny said, frowning over at Mick as though this was somehow his fault.

“We can. Just not for very long. Especially when we haven’t eaten,” Mick added.

“I’m coming with you,” Danny said, no room for argument as he pulled on his jeans.

“Grace can’t be here by herself,” Steve reminded him firmly.

Danny looked from Steve to Grace and back to Steve. “I’ll call Kono. I’m pretty sure she’s moon surfing.”

“All right,” Steve conceded reluctantly. But he knew there was no talking Danny out of coming now that he’d made up his mind. “I’m going to the basement. Gracey, do you want to stay in our bed?”

“Yes please,” Grace agreed, scooting down so Danny could cover her once he was dressed. She watched as Danny called Kono, who miraculously answered after the second ring.

“It’s the middle of the night, _brah_ ,” Kono told Danny with a laugh.

“As I am aware,” Danny assured her. “You were surfing, right?”

“Maybe. Maybe I was asleep.”

“Doubt it,” Danny said. “We need you to come watch Grace, please.”

“Watch Grace? Why? Where are you and Steve going?” Kono asked breathlessly.

“We are going to hunt Rogues. Laura Hills was murdered by an Amaranthine,” Danny explained.

“Murdered?” Kono said.

“Yeah,” Danny confirmed.

“So you and Steve are going to hunt them? By yourselves?”

“No. We’re going with Steve’s friend Mick. He’s a vampire,” Danny said, waiting for Kono to laugh.

“Sure,” Kono said, a frown in her voice.

“Not kidding. _And_ he looks just like Steve,” Danny told her wearily.

“This I gotta see,” Kono decided. “I’ll be there in ten.”

“Thanks,” Danny said, disconnecting. He sat next to Grace who was still watching him with a wary expression. “It’s going to be fine, Monkey.”

“It’s bad, Danno. Really bad. With only 13 Amaranthines left, the Rogues can….”

“Aren’t the Rogues Amaranthines?” he asked her. “Do they count in the 13 left?”

She shook her head at that. “They are still Amaranthines. But they aren’t part of the Moiety.”

“The Moiety,” Danny repeated. “The family?”

“The clan,” Grace explained. “Not that we have secret meetings. But there is a…unity among Amaranthines.”

“Like you know when one of you is relocated.”

“Uh huh. And how we know somebody’s one when we see them. Mick says vampires have kind of the same… uhm… link I guess. But Rogues are forsaken.”

“Steve told me they were ostracized. I bet that doesn’t make them happy,” Danny said, shaking his head. It didn’t help calm the buzzing that had started when he woke up to find a Steve clone in their bedroom.

“You could say that,” Grace said.

“Is there anything I need to know about these Rogues?” Danny asked. “Do they still have Human forms that can be stopped by bullets?”

“Uh huh. Except since some can time travel, they can sometimes stop from being shot.”

“Great,” Danny said, looking up at the doorway when Mick returned, studying Danny and Grace. “Where’s Steve?”

“Arming himself,” Mick said with a familiar smile. “Who knew one person could have so many guns in his house.”

“He likes to be prepared,” Grace said. “How’s Beth?”

“She’s excellent,” Mick said. “She sends her love.”

“Thanks,” Grace said, smiling back in response to Mick’s. “Please take good care of my daddies.”

“You can be sure that I will,” Mick promised. He turned toward the stairway when there was a firm knock on the front door.

“Go answer it. Just duck in case Kono tries to punch you,” Danny warned.

“Oh swell,” Mick said, going down the steps with fluid movements so like Steve’s. He opened the door, studying Kono as she did the same to him.

“Danny wasn’t kidding,” she finally said.

“No,” Mick confirmed, moving aside as she entered Steve’s house.

“And you’re a vampire.”

“Yep,” Mick said with a nod.

“Hey,” Danny said when he had come down the stairs. Mick and Kono were still staring at each other, Kono frowning. “Don’t hit him, Kono.”

“I got no plans to,” Kono assured Danny, not taking her eyes off Mick.

“That’s reassuring,” Mick said, smiling at her.

“Oh. My. God. Even your smiles are the same.”

Mick shrugged, turning to look at Steve as he entered the living room wearing his black vest. “I’m not sure your friend is glad to see me.”

“It takes some getting used to,” Steve reminded Mick. “Thanks for coming, Kono.”

“Of course, Boss. If you get yourself killed, I will find you and kick your immortal ass.”

“Understood,” Steve said seriously. “Grace is in our bed.”

“All right. I guess you’ll be home around sunrise?” she asked, turning her stare back to Mick.

“She always this inhospitable?” Mick asked.

“You are a fucking vampire,” Kono answered for herself.

“I know,” Mick laughed.

“You need a gun, Mick?” Steve asked, watching Danny get his from the safe. Once the safe was closed and secure, Danny pulled on his vest, fastening it with the velcro.

“No, I’m good.”

“’I’m good’? What does that mean? ‘I’m good,’” Danny demanded.

Mick just gazed back at him with the same non-expression that Steve used when there was absolutely no chance he was going to answer Danny’s question.

“Fine,” Danny said, his hands further expressing his mounting frustration. “Fine.”

“You can’t stay pissed off all night, Danno,” Steve told him, barely suppressing a laugh.

“Oh yeah? Just watch me.”

Steve knew better than to try and talk him down. Danno would be fine. It just would take time. “Let’s go.”

“Go where?” Danny asked. “Do you even know where Laura was killed?”

“No but I’m betting Mick does,” Steve said, looking over at him. Mick nodded once, following Steve and Danny out to Steve’s truck.

“All right. Fine,” Danny said in exasperation, entering the passenger side. Steve got in the driver’s seat, Mick climbing in the back. Danny looked back at Mick, making sure he was comfortable in the tighter quarters of the back. “You good?”

“Fine,” Mick replied with a nod. “Our first stop needs to be at Naolkupa’s.”

“Right. She’s a mundunugu,” Steve said for Danny’s benefit.

“Of course,” Danny said with a resigned frown. “Where else would we start except with a witch doctor?”

“It’s where we will get the hemlock,” Mick told him as Steve pulled out onto the street.

“Not Walgreens,” Danny said absently, looking out his window. The full moon was casting a surreal glow over their neighborhood, making it strange for all its familiarity. Or maybe it was only Danny that was different. After all, he was about to confront time travelling immortals with the help of a vampire. How was this even his life?


	7. Thank You, Professor Obvious

Steve pulled the truck into the driveway of the isolated shack, no other houses or structures that Danny could see. It had taken 20 minutes to get here, the house at the foot of the Koolau Mountain Range. The hills seemed to loom over the lone structure, either sheltering or threatening it. Danny couldn’t decide which was worse.

“You wait here,” Steve said to Danny as he and Mick made to leave the truck.

“No thanks,” Danny said, getting out of his side.

Mick looked at Steve in question. Steve could only shrug, going to the opening that was covered with streamers of grass, no real door that Danny could see. What kept out the bugs or the wild boar he knew with certainty were just waiting to run him over?

“What are you doing?” Danny asked, catching Steve’s arm.

“Going inside. That’s what you do when you need to talk to someone. Go in their house.”

“It’s the middle of the night. At least knock. What if she shares your unnatural fondness for guns and weapons of mass destruction? Who will bring down the Rogues if she decides to shoot first and ask questions later _not_ that you would know anything about that particular tactic?”

Steve waited for Danny to wind down, glancing over at Mick who had an unmistakable look of amusement on his face. Steve could only shrug before knocking on the wooden frame of the opening.

“Since when do you knock?” a voice called from inside.

Steve stared down at Danny with a _see I told you so_ look on his face.

“Just go,” Danny said, waving at the doorway. Steve nodded, ducking to enter, Danny behind him, Mick bringing up the rear.

“Steve. Mick,” the woman said from where she was sitting at a table filled with sand dollars and starfish and other odds-and-ends Danny could not identify which he silently thought was for the best. Naolkupa was of an indeterminate age, somewhere between 20 and 200. Her dark hair was in multiple braids, some with white shells braided into them. Her eyes were sparkling with interest and not a little mischief, laughter lines deeply etched at the corners.

“Naolkupa,” Steve said.

“Aloha,” Mick added with a smile.

“My two favorite immortals,” Naolkupa said, standing up to better see them. She was wearing a flowing floor-length cream dress that did nothing to disguise her womanly figure underneath. She was curveous and fit, someone not to be trifled with. And she was tall – almost taller than Steve and Mick. She could definitely look eye-to-eye with them.

“How have you been, love?” Mick asked, kissing her cheek.

“Good. Very very good,” she said with a nod, studying the two immortals before turning to look at Danny with a raised eyebrow.

“This is Danny,” Steve said simply.

“Yes. Yes of course it is,” she agreed, making Danny feel like he was in a display case as she slowly circled him. Finally she nodded and Danny couldn’t help but think that he’d passed some sort of test. “Why have you come to me?”

“Did you feel an Amaranthine die?” Mick asked her quietly.

She stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding. “Last night very late.”

“Yes,” Mick agreed. “There are 13 left now.”

“Yes,” Naolkupa confirmed. “You know who did this terrible thing?”

“Not yet. But we’re going to find them and put them down,” Steve said firmly.

“Yes,” Naolkupa repeated. “Is this the responsibility of a mortal?”

“No way are they doing this without me,” Danny told her in a tone that said the matter was closed.

“Your loyalty is never in question,” Naolkupa said in a softer tone. “You die. You stay dead.”

“Steve dies and I lose him. That’s not all that different,” Danny pointed out.

“Mick could deal with it.”

“Not by himself,” Danny said. “It’s all of us or none of us.”

Naolkupa nodded again making Danny feel as though he had passed one of her tests.

“Are you an Amaranthine?” Danny asked her, her eyes crinkling from her smile at the question.

“What do you believe?” she asked.

“Probably. You’re very comfortable with Steve and Mick. You know who I am even though I’ve never heard of you from Super SEAL.”

“I am,” she confirmed. “One of the remaining 13 on our land.”

“Do you have any idea who these Rogues are?” Steve asked her as they followed her deeper into her house. The moonlight did not reach the area where they stopped, the room cooler and slightly damp. Danny had the feeling they were now standing inside the rising hills surrounding her house.

“I do not know,” she said, shaking her head. “I did not know there were Rogues here until the death of our kin.”

“Someone left pictures of me from three different lives,” Steve told her, pulling them out of one of his pockets. She accepted them with a nod, looking at the Civil War photo, the photo of Steve beneath the Hindenburg, and one of him from this life. He was in fully SEAL mode, his face serious and hardened in a way Danny was glad it no longer was.

“A warning,” Naolkupa said.

“Pretty sure,” Steve agreed. “Can you feel who left them?”

She shook her head, the shells rattling softly. “I feel no traces of them.”

“You haven’t been threatened,” Mick said, partially a question, partially a confirmation.

“I have not. But I am no one,” she said with a wave of dismissal. “This one. In the paper almost daily.”

“That’s not true,” Steve said. Danny knew he was a little embarrassed by her words but he was doing a good job of not making it obvious.

“No matter,” Naolkupa assured him. She pulled up the heavy gold chain hung around her neck, using one of the keys suspended from it to open a large oak armoire. Inside were bottles of various sizes, filled with substances Danny was sure he didn’t want to identify. She crouched down and used a second key to unlock a drawer, taking out an aged leather bota. She carefully handed it to Danny, Steve taking a reflective step backward.

“Hemlock,” Danny guessed. Naolkupa nodded. “Can you touch it?” Danny asked Mick.

“Yeah. I’d rather not,” Mick admitted, glancing over at Steve who was staring at the container with wide eyes.

“Where did the death occur?” Naolkupa asked Mick with a look of immense concentration.

“At the old sugar cane factor. On Yakohama Bay.”

“All right,” Steve said. “That’s where we’ll start. Naolkupa, can you alert the rest of the clan? Grace is at our house with one of our team members.”

Naolkaupa nodded, following them back to her front room.

“If they need a place to gather, send them to our house,” Steve told her.

“We need to tell Kono,” Danny pointed out.

“Call and let her know,” Steve responded, looking at Naolkaupa as Danny stepped away and took out his phone. “Maybe we should have a _hālāwai_.”

“It wouldn’t hurt,” Mick agreed. “There is strength in numbers.”

Naolkaupa nodded in agreement. “I will inform them.”

“Danno,” Steve said, Danny looking up at him. “Tell Kono that all the Amaranthines are coming.”

“You get that?” Danny asked into his phone. “Yeah, we should have enough to feed everybody….Okay. Just let us know…. Yes, please ask Chin to join you. With all of them in the house, it could become a target….right….we will.” He hung up and returned to stand by Mick and Steve, waiting.

“I think we have everything we need,” Steve decided, glancing quickly at the bota flung over Danny’s shoulder by its sturdy strap. “Call if you need us,” he said to Naolkaupa, lightly kissing her cheek.

“Be careful, Steve. This is a bad business.”

“We will,” he promised with a smile that fooled none of them.

“We’ll see you soon,” Mick told her, turning to follow Steve out of the house.

“You must not worry, Danny,” Naolkaupa told him quietly when Danny was left alone with her. “Steve is one of a kind.”

“As I’ve learned,” Danny agreed with a small smile. “Thank goodness, huh?”

“Yes,” she agreed with a soft laugh. “If anyone can get to the bottom of this, it is Steve. With your help of course,” she assured him before going to her front door to watch them enter the truck and drive off.

They drove mostly in silence to the abandoned factor where Mick said Laura Hills had been murdered. Danny just knew with absolute certainty that he was destined to die in an abandoned warehouse or a deserted factory. They had been the site of too many near-death experiences for him to be able to believe that the future held any other fate for him.

“Would you stop worrying so much?” Steve said into the silence, glancing sharply at Danny.

“Deserted factors, Steven. That’s where I’m going to die one day. Because you won’t wait for back-up. Or it will be _your_ grenade that does me in. Abandoned warehouses. How many times have I been nearly shot or _actually_ _shot_ in one of those two structures? How many?”

“Seven?” Steve guessed, having no real idea. He was pretty sure Danny didn’t either but answering seemed a better option than letting Danny continue his rant on that particular subject.

“ _Seven_ , he says. Seven? I got shot at seven times the first day I had to misfortunate to meet you.”

“None those times were in a warehouse or factory,” Steve pointed out.

“Semantics,” Danny informed him. “What if the Rogues are no longer there? Which no doubt they won’t be. Killers never have the common decency to wait around at the scene of the crime until we can get there to arrest them. Or kill them.”

“I don’t think they’ll be there,” Mick agreed. “But it’s the best place to start, isn’t it? I know I’m only a private investigator and _not_ a cop. But it’s the first place I’d go.”

“You’re a private investigator?” Danny asked, turning to look back at him.

“Yeah. Why?”

Danny shrugged. “I guess I thought vampires just hung around their creepy mansions. All of them in the movies are rich.”

“I haven’t been a vampire long enough to not work,” Mick said with a hint of amusement. “I don’t think I could stay idle all day at any rate. No more than Steve could.”

“Josef doesn’t have to work,” Steve said, Mick shrugging.

“He still chooses to. Thrill of the hunt,” Mick said.

“The hunt?” Danny repeated.

“Metaphorically speaking,” Mick assured him. “He’s a commodities broker. I think. Seriously, I have no idea. Which is just fine.”

“Wow,” Danny said, shaking his head. “Does he live in a creepy mansion and sleep in a coffin?”

“You’ve watched way too many movies,” Mick said.

Danny just waved a weary hand at him, looking out his window into the night. “What are we going to do after we leave here?”

Steve exchanged a glance back with Mick before focusing on Danny. “Depends.”

“Depends on what?” Danny asked. “Do I even want to know?”

“Depends on what we find. If the factory gives us any clues about who killed her, we’ll follow those,” Steve said as though explaining it to one of the groups of schoolchildren that periodically troop through 5-0 headquarters. _Good for PR_ the Governor’s office always tells them.

“Oh, well, thank you, Professor Obvious. I’d have never guessed that was the next step,” Danny snapped.

Steve gave him a crooked smile, slowing the truck as they approached the address for the factory. He turned out the lights, creeping up to the side away from the oversized doors. “You ready?” he asked them quietly. They nodded in agreement, leaving the truck and very quietly closing the doors. They crept silently to the huge doors, Steve and Danny with their guns drawn. Steve peered around the doorway, slipping inside when he saw nothing suspicious. Mick and Danny followed, staying deep in the shadows. There were no noises coming from the factory and it was completely empty. No machinery, no random hardware, no trucks or forklifts or conveyor belts. It was a gigantic empty shell with a huge square hole in the center.

Danny moved to the railing to look down at the lower level, at least two stories below them. “What’s this?”

“Where the raw sugar was stored before it was processed,” Steve whispered. “It was brought up on conveyor belts, processed, and loaded onto trucks.”

“Where is all the machinery?” Mick asked, giving voice to the question they all had.

“I knew this factory was no longer used. I didn’t think it was completely empty,” Steve said. “Is there anyone here?”

“No,” Mick said a little louder. “Just us.”

“Do you have super sonic hearing?” Danny asked him.

“One of the advantages of being a vampire,” Mick confirmed, making Danny frown at him.

“Were you ever a SEAL?” Danny asked, still frowning.

“Nope. There were no SEALs when I was turned. Once I was a vampire, I couldn’t exactly spend that much time in the sun, could I?” Mick asked, clearly amused by Danny annoyance.

“One SEAL is plenty,” Danny decided, looking over at Steve. “What?”

“I think Laura’s body is still here,” he said with a frown. He looked over at Mick who nodded his agreement. “Down there?”

Mick nodded, quickly climbing over the railing.

“Where are you going?” Danny asked when Mick stood on the wrong side.

“To check,” Mick said, waving at the floor below them.

“It’s a two story drop. You’ll kill yourself.”

“I’m a vampire,” Mick said simply, jumping and landing on his feet with a minimum of fuss. He looked up at Steve and Danny, pointing to his right. “Stairs.”

Steve went that direction, Danny following. “He can’t actually…fly, can he?” Danny asked, a little afraid of the answer.

“He jumped, Danny. You saw him.”

“He seemed to float down.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed with a shrug as he slid down the banisters with his hands and feet rather than taking the steps. Danny followed as quickly as he could, his knee preventing his descent from being as fast as he would have liked.

“You. You are going to be the death of me,” Danny said to Steve when he was finally at the bottom, leaning over to rest his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

“But in the best way possible, right?” Steve asked because he knew it would piss Danny off.

“She’s over here,” Mick’s voice said from their left. When they joined him, Steve flinched at the sight. Laura Hills was tied to a chair, slumped over with her hair hiding her face. Danny reached out to move it aside but Mick stopped him. “Don’t.”

Danny looked from Mick to Steve who shook his head. Danny took a step backwards, their expressions providing the only information he needed about why they had stopped him. “Does she have family?” Danny finally asked.

“Yeah. But we can’t let anyone else see her,” Mick said. “We need to torch the factory.”

“It would be for the best,” Steve had to agree.

“There are other warehouse down here. How will we prevent them from catching fire too?”

Steve and Mick considered his question, Mick disappearing briefly into the darkened section of the lower level. When he emerged, he was carrying an armload of wooden pallets. “We’ll use these to cremate her. The fire should stay contained down here.”

“Should,” Danny repeated, circling the chair where Laura Hills had died. “Look at these boot prints,” he said, pointing to the prints in the dust.

“Carolina Logger steel toe boots,” Steve said.

“How many?” Danny asked, intently studying the floor, the barely visible tracks possibly their best lead.

“Four. Five?” Steve said, looking over at Mick.

“Four logger boots. And one pair of John Lobb riding boots,” Mick said.

“Riding boots?” Danny repeated, studying the floor. He could see the treads left by the logger boots but was unable to pick out the custom-made riding boots, the ones he knew started at $7,000. He’d seen them once in a copy of his sister’s _Cosmopolitan._ She’d left in the bathroom and he’d thumbed through it. And what was a woman’s magazine doing with hot women on the cover? How did that make sense? Why didn’t they have, like, _Steve_ on the cover instead?

“Earth to Danny,” Mick said, a laugh barely disguised in his voice. If it hadn’t sounded so much like Steve when he was _that close_ to laughing at Danny, he might not have recognized the implications.

“Yeah, yeah,” Danny said, focusing on Steve. “Do you see the riding boots?”

Steve squatted down behind the chair, pointing to the print in the dust. “Here.”

“Please, please tell me Victor Hesse does not wear handcrafted polo boots,” Danny said, squatting next to him.

“He doesn’t,” Steve said.

“But Wo Fat does,” Mick said in barely more than a whisper.

 


	8. This Is A Bad Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Steve, Danny, and Mick investigate the death of Laura Hills, finding a dreaded and unwelcome connection to Wo Fat. And Steve and Danny have sex. So there’s that.
> 
> Disclaimer: Sure, I am the sole owner/operator of Hawaii Five-0. That’s why I live in Hawaii in the lap of luxury! Oh – that’s not me. I make no claim to H50 or those who inhabit it. So please don’t sue me. All you’ll get is my six dogs. And nobody wants that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought I had abandoned it, didn’t you? Yes, I have finally returned to the world of Amaranthines and vampires and…well. I’m _so sorry_ for the impossibly long delay. It wasn’t intentional, I promise.

“No,” Steve said, shaking his head.  
  
“He’s an immortal?” Danny asked, trying like hell to keep his voice even. He was pretty sure he’d failed to keep the fear out. Wasn’t it enough that Wo Fat had already made Steve’s life miserable? That he had killed his mother and caused his father to be relocated? Now it turns out he’s an immortal? This night kept getting better by the minute.  
  
Steve looked up at Mick, twin frowns on their faces. “Is he a Rogue?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Mick admitted. “Josef never mentioned it.”  
  
“Josef knows him?” Danny asked. “How did you not know he’s immortal?”   
  
“I’ve never touched him. I can’t always tell just by looking,” Steve said. “Some Rogues can disguise their true nature. He’s apparently learned how.”  
  
“Do you think he’s the one leaving you the photos?” Danny asked.  
  
“I don’t know. Why would he kill Laura Hill? She was no threat to him,” Steve said.  
  
While Steve and Danny were discussing Wo Fat’s immortality, Mick took out his phone. It didn’t take long for it to be answered. “We found her body,” he said. “Do you know if Wo Fat is a Rogue?....John Lobb polo boots….sure, but what are the chances it’s not him?...no you don’t need to come. Steve and I can handle it….yes, I’m absolutely sure, Josef….no….no….all right….yes, as soon as I know anything.”  
  
Even though Danny and Steve heard only Mick’s side of the conversation, it was clear that the news coming from Los Angeles was not good.   
  
Mick closed his phone and joined them. “Josef said that as far as he knows, Wo Fat is not forsaken. The last time he talked to him, he was a regular Amaranthine. That was about a year ago.”  
  
“How do you go from regular to forsaken?” Danny asked.  
  
“No one who hasn’t done it knows,” Steve said.   
  
“If you decided to turn, to give into the dark side, what would you do then?”  
  
“Ask a Rogue. They’re the only ones who possess the knowledge,” Steve said.  
  
“Great. So we don’t know if he was turned. Or how. Or why he would want Laura Hills dead.”  
  
“That pretty well sums things up,” Mick agreed.   
  
“Who do the other boot prints belong to?” Danny asked. “Immortals?”  
  
“Doubtful,” Steve said. “Probably some of his henchmen. Hired muscle.”  
  
“That would be my assumption,” Mick said, placing the pallets around the base of Laura’s chair. “Go on up. I’ll set fire to these and we’ll leave.”  
  
Steve and Danny went back up the steps, Danny answering his phone when it rang. “Kono.”  
  
“Your house it now officially Amaranthine central,” she informed him. “Jenna and Chin are here. Grace is helping play hostess. You’ll need more hard liquor before the night is over.”  
  
“That’s fine. We’ll deal with it. There are extra blankets in the hall closet upstairs. And there are at least 3 sleeping bags in the basement if anyone wants to use them,” Danny said.  
  
“I’ll let them know,” Kono said over the noise in the background. “Doubt anybody will be getting much sleep.”  
  
“Sounds like it. We’re coming back there, leaving here in a few minutes,” Danny told her.  
  
“All right. Can you stop for milk and bread? We’ve already run out.”  
  
“Sure,” Danny agreed. “We’ll see you shortly.”  
  
“Right,” she said, hanging up.  
  
“Everyone’s there,” Danny reported to Steve, and to Mick who had climbed up to their level. The fire was burning brightly, a signal that it was time to leave.  
  
“Good,” Steve said. “We need to get clear before the fire is reported.”  
  
“Right,” Danny said as they left the factory. He told them what Kono had said, including the need for more supplies. That made their next stop the all-night market not far from their house.   
  
“What are we going to do about Wo Fat?” Danny asked as they drove home from the store.  
  
“Josef is putting out feelers. See if he can find him. We need to locate him before he can make good on his threats,” Mick said.  
  
“He isn’t the one who left the pictures,” Danny said.  
  
“He could be,” Steve countered. “It was a person of slight build. We couldn’t see their face at all.”  
  
“You have the person on surveillance tapes?” Mick asked.  
  
“Affirmative. The tapes from Five-0 headquarters. But they never face the cameras,” Steve explained.  
  
“Do you have access to them at your house?” Mick asked.  
  
“Chin can bring them up,” Danny confirmed. “You think you’ll recognize whoever it is?”  
  
“Maybe,” Mick said. “I can send the tape to Josef too. He can help figure it out.”  
  
“All right,” Danny said as Steve pulled into their driveway. Or at least tried. There was no room left, Steve parking in the yard. Every window in the house was lit, the yard nearly as bright as mid-day. The front door was open, the living room filled with people Danny did not know. But from the interactions Danny could see, they all appeared to be acquainted.  
  
Grace came running out of the house, leaping into Danny’s arms because there was no question but he would catch her. “Hey Danno, Daddy. Mick. I’m so glad you’re home.”  
  
“We’re glad we’re home too,” Danny told her with a kiss as he followed Steve and Mick inside and into the crowded living room.  
  
“Steve, Mick,” several called out once they were inside. “What’d you find out?” someone asked.  
  
“We think Wo Fat is behind it,” Steve said, a silence falling over everyone.  
  
“He’s forsaken?” someone asked.  
  
“It appears that way,” Mick said in regret.   
  
“Do you know where he is?” someone else asked.  
  
“No. But we’re doing everything we can to find him,” Danny said, all eyes turning to look at him. He stared back at them over Grace’s head. “ _What_? I live here.” He put Grace down at her request, watching her make her way toward to kitchen to find Auntie Kono.  
  
Steve had to laugh, explaining who Danny was to those who did not already know. He also introduced Danny to the Amaranthines and their families. A few of them Danny already knew from their wedding. Not many of them attended but he remembered the ones who had been there. The ones Danny hadn’t met, as with the ones he already knew, were from all walks of life – they included a teacher, a banker, an air traffic controller. After that, Danny pretty much lost track. Between the immortals, their spouses, and assorted children, Danny couldn’t keep them all straight.  
  
“We got supplies,” Danny said, finally making his way toward the kitchen. “Help yourselves.”  
  
Naolkupa followed him into the kitchen, organizing several others to make a very late dinner or very early breakfast. Danny could see that there were people outside on the beach but he wasn’t sure if he had met them yet or not.  
  
“Because you don’t have any choice,” he heard Steve’s voice say. He was apparently in the dining room, having a quiet, intense discussion. Danny didn’t know who he was talking to until he heard the reply.  
  
“No,” Mick said firmly. “That is not going to happen.”  
  
“He’ll be fine with it,” Steve was saying.  
  
“No,” Mick repeated. “You know it can be very intimate. I won’t risk it.”  
  
“What choice do you realistically have?” Steve asked. Danny’s curiosity got the better of him and he went into the dining room to find out what they were discussing.  
  
“What’s up?” Danny asked, looking at Steve then Mick. Steve looked almost angry. Mick looked stressed.  
  
“Nothing,” Steve said, shaking his head.  
  
“Apparently that’s not true,” Danny said. “Don’t think I can’t tell exactly what you are both thinking.”  
  
“Mick needs to eat. I suggested he use you,” Steve said. The tone was casual. The words gave Danny pause.   
  
“I said no,” Mick assured Danny. “I won’t ask that of you.”  
  
“What happens if you don’t?” Danny asked. Mick looked even more pale than he had when he’d first appeared in their bedroom, the artificial lights doing his complexion no favors.  
  
“It’s not important. I can wait until the blood bank opens,” Mick said, waving it away.  
  
“It is important. And you don’t have that long,” Steve said. “We need you conscious so you can help us find Wo Fat.”  
  
“What’s it like? For me if I agree?” Danny asked, studying Mick.  
  
“It’s an act of intimacy,” Mick said. “Feeding on you…would connect us.”  
  
“I’m not worried,” Danny said, waving it away. “I’m guessing you are telling me it will arouse me. If that’s the case, I’m not going to use you to get my rocks off.”  
  
“That’s what I’m saying,” Mick said slowly, studying Danny. “You’re willing to risk it?”  
  
“Unless there’s something you aren’t telling me. You aren’t going to kill me or turn me. I have Steve to take care of any other consequences, positive or negative. And Steve isn’t worried about it. He’d be refusing if he had concerns about the ultimate outcome,” Danny said.  
  
“All right,” Mick agreed with a nod, barely hidden relief on his taut features. “I’ll wait until sunrise. It’s less than an hour from now. We can use the time until then to study the tapes.”  
  
“I asked Chin to bring them up,” Danny said. “He has it all set up in the office.”  
  
“Okay,” Mick said, leaving the dining room.  
  
“You are okay with this, right?” Danny asked when he and Steve were alone in the dining room.  
  
“I’m fine. You’ll be aroused. And I’ll get lucky,” Steve said with a smile down at him. His smile was followed by a kiss that was interrupted by the sounds of someone clearing their throat. “Hey, Stan,” Steve said, turning to face the tall man in the doorway. “Hi ya, Charlie.”  
  
“Hi Steve,” the little boy said. He looked to be about 8 or 9. His father smiled down at him, a hand resting on his shoulder.   
  
“Thank you for letting us come here,” Stan said to Steve. “Some of us felt her death. Some of us didn’t.”  
  
“I didn’t,” Steve confirmed before glancing over at Danny. “Stan and Charlie are Amanranthines. Except for Grace, Charlie is the youngest on the island.”  
  
Danny nodded, looking at the attractive woman who came up to join them.   
  
“This is my wife Rachel,” Stan said, kissing her head. “She’s mortal.”  
  
“Rachel,” Danny said, reaching out to shake her hand and titling his head to look at her, his eyes narrowed in a considering kind of way. “Have we met before?”  
  
“I don’t believe so,” she said in a soft British accent. “You do seem familiar.”  
  
“Hmmm…” Danny said, looking down at Grace when she wandered into the dining room. “Hey, babe. You doing okay?”  
  
“I think so,” she said with a shrug, leaning against his legs. “I could do with some more sleep.”  
  
“We all could,” Steve agreed, reaching down to pick her up. “Do you want Kono to take you upstairs and put you to bed?”  
  
“Not yet,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “I need to be with the Moiety.”  
  
“Of course,” Steve agreed. “Kono get you something to eat?”  
  
“I’m not hungry,” she said, yawing. “This is a bad business.”  
  
“I know it is,” Steve said, kissing her. “We’re going to figure it out.”  
  
“You have to. For everybody,” Grace said.  
  
“Are there patrols outside?” Steve asked Stan after Rachel said she was going to take Charlie to the kitchen to see if they could help. “Has a duty roster been prepared?”   
  
“I’m not sure,” Stan said. “I think Naolkupa was waiting for you to organize it. I don’t want Charlie included.”  
  
“Of course not,” Steve said. “He and Grace are exempt. Michelle can decide if she’s ready to be on patrol.”  
  
“Michelle?” Danny asked.  
  
“She’s 16. If she doesn’t want to be on patrol, she can still be exempt. Or her parents don’t want her to,” Steve said. “The next youngest is Garry, right?”  
  
“Yes,” Stan said. “He’s 22.”  
  
“How many on each watch?” Danny asked.   
  
“Three. Three hours at a time. Mick can’t take patrol during the daylight. He and I can do the night shift,” Steve said.  
  
“You can’t stay up all night and investigate Wo Fat all day,” Danny said. “Are there any vampires on Oahu we can recruit?”  
  
“That’s an excellent question for Mick,” Stan said. “That would help, to have their assistance.”  
  
“All right,” Steve said. “I’ll draft a schedule for patrol. Then we’ll have the official _hālāwai_.”  
  
“You are including mortals on the patrol, right?” Danny asked. His tone said that as far as he was concerned, the matter was settled before he had asked the question.  
  
Steve and Stan exchanged a glance, Stan shrugging one shoulder. “They should be allowed to volunteer,” Stan said. “I have the feeling Danny’s going to patrol no matter what you prefer.”  
  
“Damn straight,” Danny agreed.  
  
Steve knew that would be Danny’s answer. There was a legitimate reason that Danny was a policeman. It was in his nature. “We’ll ask for volunteers. Chin, Kono, and Jenna can help.”  
  
“What are you going to tell the Governor?” Danny asked. “She’s going to notice if we don’t show up at work on Monday.”  
  
“I have no idea,” Steve said. “We’ll think of something. I hope.”  
  
“I can give her a call,” Stan offered. “We aren’t exactly close but we’ve talked on more than one occasion. My phone call could forestall a lot of awkward questions.”  
  
“What do you think?” Steve asked Danny.  
  
“Better than one of us trying to lie our way out of it,” Danny said.  
  
“Good,” Stan said with a nod. “I’ll call her.”  
  
“Right now?” Danny asked, lifting Steve’s arm to check his watch. “It’s 4:30.”  
  
“Ahh. I guess I should wait a little while,” Stan acknowledged.  
  
“Probably be for the best,” Danny confirmed. Stan agreed he’d call at a ‘reasonable’ hour before leaving to see what else needed to be done.  
  
“You okay?” Steve asked Danny when they were momentarily alone.  
  
“No. But it doesn’t matter. We’re going to keep the Moiety safe. That’s our only priority,” Danny said, taking Grace from Steve and hugging her close. “You said with only 13 Amaranthines left, the Rogues can wield power over you. What sort of power?”  
  
“It can take different forms. Should they get one of us alone, they will try to turn us. That’s one of the reasons everyone is here. They will also try to consume our noumenons, our immortal souls.”  
  
“They say it’s where they get their power,” Grace said softly into Danny’s shoulder.  
  
“Is that why they killed Laura Hills?” Danny asked.  
  
“One of the reasons. I’m sure they knew that killing her left 13 in Hawaii,” Steve said.  
  
“All right,” Danny said, thinking it through. “We need to check with Mick about more vampires. It’s not long to sun-up. And we need to convene the _hālāwai.”  
  
_ “Right,” Steve agreed. “I’ll get everyone on the beach. It will be easier out there. You talk to Mick and send anyone you see outside.”  
  
“Got it,” Danny agreed, carrying Grace into the office. Mick was studying Chin’s computer with a familiar intensity.   
  
Chin looked up at Danny when he entered. “Howzit?”  
  
“You know,” Danny said with a shrug. “Anything yet?”  
  
“I’m 99% sure it’s Wo Fat,” Mick said, stopping the tape. “So why did he warn Steve?”  
  
“He’s someone who likes to play head games,” Danny said. “He’s a sick, twisted bastard. It’s probably a taunt as much as a warning. Plus we know he can time travel which makes him that much more dangerous.”  
  
“True,” Mick said. “I have a list of all the vampires in Oahu. Stan mentioned you wanted to recruit them.”  
  
“How many are there?” Danny asked.  
  
“Five that I’m sure will help. There are be a couple of more who might agree to assist us. These five are the ones I trust implicitly.”  
  
“We need to call them. Do you have time to do that?” Danny asked Mick. He glanced down at Chin who appeared to be a little shell-shocked. He could certainly understand the feeling.   
  
“I’ll make the calls,” Mick confirmed.  
  
“Good,” Danny agreed. “Where are Kono and Jenna?”  
  
“Upstairs. Trying to make as many beds as possible,” Chin said.  
  
“Okay. We’re meeting on the beach. Steve is going to schedule patrols. Grace, do you feel like going up for Kono and Jenna?”  
  
“Okay Danno,” Grace said, running off when he had put her down.  
  
“We need to get on the beach,” Danny said, leading Chin out. It wasn’t long before Mick joined them, staying close to the house as the first rays of the sun began to lighten the sky. His skin was nearly translucent, his eyes red around the rims.   
  
“I contacted the first two vampires,” Mick said. “Elise agreed to call the other three. She said they’d all be here shortly after sundown.”  
  
“All right,” Danny said. “Is there anything I can do right now?”  
  
“I’ll be okay,” Mick said. “I can wait until he’s done.”  
  
“Okay,” Danny agreed. He wasn’t sure Mick was right but what did he know about being a vampire? When did it become his reality that he’d even be wondering about that? As they were waiting for Steve, Grace returned with Jenna and Kono. It wasn’t long before the backyard was filled with Amaranthines and their families, all talking quietly among themselves.  
  
They made room for Steve to leave the house and stand in the center of the group. He had the tentative patrol schedule drawn up, asking for additional volunteers. Everyone wanted to be included, Michelle arguing quietly with her parents, one of whom was mortal. Apparently Michelle won because Steve was adding her to the list.   
  
Danny could feel Mick becoming weaker the higher the sun climbed into the sky, finally deciding to take matters into his own hands. “Come on,” Danny said, grabbing him by his belt. He had to help hold him up as they entered the house, carefully descending the steps to the basement. “Here,” Danny said, opening the top of the freezer. He couldn’t imagine what Steve had done with the food that had been stored there. It was probably already cooked and eaten from looks of the kitchen when they had passed through it.   
  
“I need to…undress,” Mick said, gesturing to himself then the freezer.  
  
“All right,” Danny said, helping him out of his duster. He made quick work of stripping the rest of Mick’s clothes off, trying very hard _not_ to compare Mick’s body to Steve’s. Certainly there were similarities, but Mick was not battled hardened like Steve. And he had no tattoos which Danny found mildly disappointing. Which was, of course, ridiculous but he couldn’t seem to stop his brain from thinking about that missing ink.  
  
“This is good,” Mick said when he was down to his briefs. He carefully climbed into the freezer, sighing in relief as the coldness enveloped him. “You’re sure about this?” he asked, looking up at Danny with nearly vacant eyes.  
  
“Just take care of it already,” Danny said. “What’s the best way?”  
  
Mick reached out with a shaking hand for Danny’s arm, pushing his sleeve up a little higher. “You may have to stop me if Steve doesn’t come do it.”  
  
“Will I know when?” Danny asked.  
  
“You’ll know,” Mick said, licking Danny’s arm. “Mmm….” With that, he sank his teeth into Danny’s flesh, Danny groaning at the pain. It was sharp and quick, not at all like the time he was accidentally bitten by a neighbor’s dog.   
  
Once the pain faded, he could only stare in fascination at Mick sucking on his arm, his blood dripping out of the corner of Mick’s mouth to fall on him chest. It was a mesmerizing sight, not at all repulsive as Danny would have imagined. And Mick was right about it inducing arousal. The more Mick drank, the harder Danny got. Mick’s mouth was wired to his erection. That could be the only possible explanation.  
  
Danny was fascinated by the sight and by the reaction of his body. Finally he understood why vampires were the center of so many sexual fantasies. He was living one right in his own basement. It wasn’t going to be long until he proved just how much he was enjoying Mick feeding from him. His jeans were uncomfortably snug and he had to keep a strangle hold on the edge of the freezer to stop himself from freeing his erection and finding relief. But until Mick released his arm, jerking off wasn’t going to satisfy him. He wanted more…. some _unknown_ to satisfy the hunger he couldn’t name. He wanted to climb into the freezer and….  
  
“Danno,” Steve said, jerking his arm out of Mick’s mouth.  
  
Danny whimpered at the loss, leaning toward the freezer, trying to reconnect. He could only stare down at Mick who was licking his lips, a look of satisfaction written all over his face. Danny wanted to taste his own blood inside Mick’s mouth. He wanted to know how he tasted. He _wanted_ …  
  
“Come on. We need to get upstairs,” Steve said into his ear. His voice was low and seductive. It was enough to weaken the spell, Danny finally looking up at Steve instead of staring down at Mick.  
  
“I want…” Danny said. They were the only words he had.   
  
“I know. Come on,” Steve said, taking Danny’s hand and lowering the lid on the freezer, a gap remaining to provide air. Danny whined softly when he could no longer see Mick, responding to Steve when he turned Danny’s head so their eyes met. “Come up with me, Babe.”  
  
Danny nodded slowly, following Steve up both sets of stairs. If anyone saw them, they didn’t speak, leaving them in their personal space.  
  
Steve led Danny by the hand into their bedroom, making sure the door was locked once they were inside. It took only a minute for Steve to get Danny out of his clothes, going to his knees in front of him.  
  
“Not like this,” Danny whispered, shaking his head. His fingers were buried in Steve’s hair, his mind insisting on considering how different it would feel if it was Mick’s longer hair instead.  
  
“Just goin’ take the edge off,” Steve answered, his words tickling the hairs at the base of Danny’s erection.   
  
“Uhmmm….” Danny moaned, thrusting his hips in need.  
  
“I know,” Steve said, licking up the pre-come. “I know.” He barely took Danny in, licking at the tip before gently sucking. It was enough to keep Danny’s attention but not provide any satisfaction.  
  
“Come on. Come on. I need you to fuck me. Come on,” Danny begged, grabbing Steve’s shoulder to try to pull him up off his knees.   
  
Steve hummed around Danny before backing away, smiling up at Danny. “You still want _him_?”  
  
“No no no….please. Get naked now,” Danny implored, sprawling out on the bed, his legs wide apart in invitation. He had to reach down to circle his yearning cock as Steve peeled off his clothes. He kept his strokes light, knowing any pressure would be too much. But even his own hand felt close to heaven. He was so stimulated he could barely see straight. “Please.”  
  
“I got you,” Steve promised, laying full on top of him to ground him and provide a promise of what was to come. “I know what you need.” Steve covered Danny’s mouth, plunging in to taste all of the familiar flavors, so delicious and distinctively _Danny_. Danny moaned under him, wanting the kiss but yearning for more.  
  
“Please,” Danny said when Steve had released his mouth to kiss down his body, his skin alive with need. Each touch sent an electrical charge directly to his cock. “I’m going to come even if you don’t fuck me.”  
  
“No you aren’t,” Steve said around a taut nipple. He licked and bit and worried Danny’s nub until he was jerking from each brush of a breath.  
  
“I hate you so much,” Danny whispered, his fingers scrabbling to get hold of Steve. He tried to shove him lower and pull him higher all at the same time. His brain felt scrambled, his thoughts a jumble of need and want and arousal and…. “ _Please_.”  
  
Steve laughed, a deep throaty sound as he moved down Danny’s body. He paused at Danny’s left arm, licking over the wounds Mick had left. Danny lurched at each swipe of Steve’s tongue. His cock grew impossibly harder, his entire body wound tight, a spring coiled beyond its breaking point.   
  
“Steve….please…please….” Danny’s words were a muddle of begging and _Steve_ and need – raw, open, lewd desire.  
  
Steve finally took pity on him, reaching over for the lube and quickly coating his own cock that was nearly a match for Danny’s in rigid urgency.  
  
“Turn over,” Steve ordered, rough and commanding.   
  
Danny gladly did it, spreading his knees wide apart, inviting, begging, needing Steve to be inside his body. He strained to look back at Steve, shaking his head when Steve slicked two fingers. “No,” Danny said. “Just you.”   
  
Steve silently agreed. They rarely did it rough with no prep. But there were times when they both needed the burn, the pain to feel just that much more connected.  
  
Danny’s breathing was erratic, the words tumbling into his pillow random and filthy. He gasped in pleasurable pain as Steve entered him in one hard thrust. It was awful and wonderful and everything Danny needed. It turned him to jello, his face burrowed in his pillow as Steve rocked into him. Everything boiled down to Steve’s cock and what it was doing to Danny’s body. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else existed. The world disappeared. There was Steve and Danny and the love that arced between them.  
  
The second Steve wrapped his hand around Danny it was all over. The spasms rocketed through him, his muscles tightening even more around Steve. The pleasure that had been held at bay for too long erupted, Danny shouting into the pillow. His entire body was a vessel overflowing with the orgasm that threatened to pull him under and drown him. He welcomed the darkness.   
  
Maybe he passed out a little. Maybe time winked out for a spell. Whatever happened, he finally managed to open his eyes to see that the world still existed. Steve lay over him, his harsh breathing flowing past his ear. Steve’s weight was welcome, keeping him anchored to reality.   
  
“Hey,” Steve whispered roughly. “You back?”  
  
“I think,” Danny said with the little breath he had to spare. “You?”  
  
“I’m good,” Steve assured him, kissing his cheek. If Danny’s face was suspiciously wet, neither of them were going to put it down to anything but sweat. “We need to catch some sleep while we can.”  
  
“Not until we shower,” Danny said, squirming on the wet spot beneath him. “And change the sheets.”  
  
“In a minute,” Steve said, taking a deep breath. “You still want him?”  
  
“You did not just ask me that,” Danny huffed, shaking his head. “Jealous much?”  
  
“Not at all,” Steve claimed. But Danny knew better. Because he _knew_ Steve.  
  
They finally managed to untangle their limbs, climbing gracelessly out of bed and stumbling over to the shower. Their cleaning was a semblance of scrubbing at best. With the electricity still skimming on the surface of their skin, the graze of soapy hands was nearly overwhelming.  
  
After carefully drying off, they stripped and remade the bed, tumbling in to provide relief to shaky knees and wobbly legs. They barely hit the soft surface before they were sound asleep, the world fading out around them.  
  



	9. How's Cleveland This Time of Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve, Danny, Chin, and Kono investigate the Governor and why she isn't where she ought to be. Plans are made. Decisions agreed upon. Wo Fat seems to be in deeper than first believed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Thank you to everyone who patiently waited for this story to be updated! I apologize again for the really long delay between chapters. I _think_ this may be the next to the last chapter. I'm hoping things wrap up in Chapter 10. But as the muses are in charge, I just never can be sure.

Danny felt Steve stir and managed to pry his eyes open. The room was flooded with sunlight, Danny guessing it was some time before noon.  
  
“Wha’?” Danny mumbled when Steve untangled his arms and legs from Danny’s.  
  
“Go back to sleep,” Steve whispered into his ear.  
  
“Where are you going?” Danny asked, squinting at him. He had left the bed and was rummaging for a shirt and shorts. “You aren’t swimming.” There was a knock on their bedroom door, Steve gesturing toward it. “Oh.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve said. “Pretty sure it’s Chin.”  
  
“Uhn,” Danny replied, pulling the sheet up to his chest as Steve unlocked the door.  
  
“Hey,” Steve said when the door was open, Chin on the other side.  
  
“I’m sorry to…interrupt,” Chin said.  
  
“You aren’t,” Steve said. “We were sleeping.”  
  
Chin nodded at that. “Stan has been trying to reach the Governor all morning. No one knows where she is.”  
  
“No one?” Danny asked, considerably more awake. He scooted up the bed, frowning over at Chin and Steve.  
  
“No one. We’ve contacted her secretary. Lieutenant Governor Denning. The Captain of her security detail. Captain Lloyd was about to call us when Stan got him on the phone,” Chin said.  
  
“Great,” Danny said. “You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?”  
  
“That Wo Fat’s behind her disappearance?” Steve asked, Danny nodding.  
  
“That’s our assumption,” Chin said. “Captain Lloyd asked if we could meet him at the residence. I said we’d be there in half an hour.”  
  
“All right,” Steve agreed. “We’ll dress then we’ll be ready.”  
  
“Wait. One of us needs to stay here. We can’t leave Kono to defend the house by herself,” Danny said.  
  
Chin and Steve traded a look before glancing back at Danny.  
  
“Oh no no no. I’m _not_ staying here. I am all too familiar with the deep shit you get yourself into when I’m not the back-up. You can forget that idea right now,” Danny told Steve.  
  
“We could wake up Mick,” Steve suggested, not directly addressing Danny’s mini-rant. What would be to the point?  
  
“No. It’s broad daylight. He needs to stay cold and asleep. Plus he’s taking the overnight shift with the vampires,” Danny reminded him.  
  
“Are any of the other Amaranthines veterans?” Chin asked.  
  
“A few are experts with guns,” Steve said, considering it. “With Kono here, they should be safe.”  
  
“Kono’s not staying here,” she announced as she barged into their bedroom. “What? Because I’m the _girl_ I have to stay behind? Try it and I will kick all your asses.”  
  
“Okay. So Kono won’t be here,” Steve conceded. He knew better than to cross Kono when she had that particular expression on her face. Not if he wanted to remain a man. Because she would rip them off if he tried to make her stay behind.  
  
“I’ll call Kawika,” Chin said. “He’ll bring some Kapu and not ask questions.”  
  
Steve nodded at that. “Excellent. If they figure out that we’re Amaranthines, they’re not going to tell anyone. Call Kamekona too. There’s a lot of people here to feed.”  
  
“Roger that,” Chin agreed.  
  
“Get dressed,” Kono ordered, waving at Steve and at Danny. “We need to go.”  
  
“Could you go back downstairs, please?” Danny requested, frowning at her.  
  
“Why? You think you got something I’ve never seen before?” she asked, her arms crossed over her chest.  
  
“I know you’ve seen it all before. But I don’t necessarily need you seeing it right now,” Danny said.  
  
She snorted and with a defiant toss of her hair, left their bedroom.  
  
“Brah,” Chin said, shaking his head.  
  
“What? Why do I need her to see me naked?” Danny asked with an edge of indignation.  
  
“Don’t taunt her,” Steve said as he traded his tank top and shorts for a polo and cargo pants. “Get dressed already.”  
  
Danny climbed out of bed and pulled on his clothes, Chin too engaged in talking to Steve to spare him even a glance. Not that it was of any consequence what Chin might or might not see. They’d all been undressed together enough times that there were no remaining secrets.  
  
“We need to call Max,” Steve said. “Mick’s going to need more blood than Danny can provide alone.”  
  
“What about the other vampires?” Danny asked as he tried to get his hair into a semblance of order. This is what happened when Steve fucked him brainless and he went to sleep with wet hair. The entire world was going to know what went down in their bedroom.  
  
“They’ll probably bring their own supply. We need extra blood at any rate. Max should be able to get it for us,” Steve said.  
  
“Are we going to tell him the truth?” Chin asked sensibly.  
  
“We’ll have to,” Steve said. “He’ll know once he’s here anyway.”  
  
“How has it been a secret up to now?” Danny asked, abandoning his hair. “Pretty soon all of Hawaii will know.”  
  
“That’s a slight exaggeration,” Steve said. “Kawika probably already knows. He’s close friends with Naolkupa. And do you think Max will be surprised?”  
  
“Hard to know what surprises Max,” Danny pointed out as they left the bedroom to go downstairs.  
  
“Danno. Daddy,” Grace squealed in excitement, making her way through the crowded living room to hurl herself at them. “Where have you been?”  
  
“Danno fed Mick. He needed to sleep,” Steve explained as he scooped up Grace. Danny could feel everyone turning to watch them but mostly he ignored them.  
  
“You okay, Daddy?” Grace asked, reaching over to touch Danny’s cheek with a small hand.  
  
“I’m fine, baby. The sleep helped.”  
  
“Can I see?” she asked.  
  
He didn’t know why she wanted to look at the remnants but it wasn’t disturbing. Nor especially interesting. He pulled his shirt sleeve above the mark, showing her the oval bruising with the four raw punctures. “That’s it.”  
  
She touched it gently, patting his arm. “Do you want a princess band aid?”  
  
“No thanks,” he said with a smile just for her. “I’ll be fine without one.”  
  
“’Kay,” she said. “Auntie Kono said you are leaving?”  
  
“The Governor is missing,” Steve said loud enough for everyone to hear him. He backed up one step, standing high enough so all could see. “We’re going to investigate. Chin is calling Kawika for back-up.”  
  
There was a murmur of approval at that news, Naolkupa approaching. “I’ll fill him in,” she assured everyone at once.  
  
“We’re calling Max to bring blood. The rest of the vampires will be here shortly after sundown. I’m sure they’ll bring their own supply but Mick wasn’t able to bring his. Kamekona is being called, to cook. Naolkupa, you’ll be responsible for the protection rotation while we’re gone?” Steve said, looking down at her.  
  
“Of course I will. I will watch this one as well,” she said, accepting Grace from Steve’s arms.  
  
“Does anyone have any questions?” Danny asked, joining Steve on the step. There were a couple of logistical questions, someone suggesting that they might need additional ammunition. Danny didn’t think it was possibly an issue but that they would ask Kamekona to bring some when he came. The Kapu would supply their own.  
  
Jenna came to the bottom step, looking up at Steve and Danny. “I requested tracking of her last known whereabouts. I sent all the coordinates to your phones.”  
  
“Thank you,” Danny said. “You can always reach us on our cell phones. The first priority is the safety of the Moiety. We’d like the house left standing but we can always rebuild it if we have to.”  
  
“And the basement is reinforced. Send the children if you are at all worried. They can wake up Mick when they get down there,” Steve said, a light hand on Grace’s brown hair. She was chewing her bottom lip, looking at him like it was she could do not to cry.  
  
“We should send away the mortals,” someone suggested in a sad, considering tone. That erupted in a loud, heated argument, the mortals triumphing, much as Danny had known they would. There was no way he would have left Steve under these circumstances.  
  
“All right,” Steve said. “We don’t have any way of knowing when we’ll be back. We’ll call when we’re on our way. If all else fails and you need help, call 9-1-1.”  
  
“We will,” Naolkupa assured him. “Good hunting.”  
  
“Thank you,” Steve said, leaving the steps and accepting his TAC vest. Kono and Chin already had theirs on, Danny pulling on his as they made their way to the front door. They stopped long enough to kiss Grace before they all left, making an effort not to turn around and look back into the house.  
  
“It’s going to be fine, brahs,” Chin told them. “We have reinforcements on the way.”  
  
“I know,” Danny sighed. “It’s just….”  
  
“I totally understand,” Chin said, Kono nodding in sympathy. “We’ll meet you at the residence.”  
  
“Right,” Steve said, climbing into the truck as Danny got in the passenger side. Chin and Kono left in Chin’s black SUV, Steve and Danny following right behind.  
  
“This is a bad business, as Grace would say,” Danny said, looking out his window at the world that seemed calm and peaceful. He felt a little sorry for any of their neighbors who might be caught in the crossfire but there was nothing to be done. Maybe having the _Hālāwai_ at their house wasn’t such a good idea. Maybe they should have gathered at Naolkupa’s instead. It was isolated. Easier to defend. Reinforced by the mountains above her house…cave…whatever.  
  
“Danny,” Steve said sharply. Danny turned to look at him, frowning. “I’ve been talking to you for five minutes. Where have you been?”  
  
“Worrying about the neighbors,” Danny admitted. “Our house may not have been the best choice.”  
  
“Maybe not. But it will be hard for any attack to go unnoticed. And we have the basement shelter.”  
  
“Yeah,” Danny agreed. “What were you saying?”  
  
“Did you check the tracking Jenna sent?”  
  
“The Governor’s last known whereabouts was her residence. She arrived last night at 10:23. Directly before that, she was in her office, meeting with Lieutenant Governor Denning. The tapes from the residence don’t show her leaving or anyone entering,” Danny said. His voice was tight, recognition of what the lack of visual evidence represented. “It is Wo Fat, isn’t it?”  
  
“Sure seems that way,” Steve had to agree. “Otherwise they’d be a tape of her leaving.”  
  
“He needs to be put down,” Danny said.  
  
“That’s why we have the hemlock. Once we find him, we’ll take care of him.”  
  
“You got that right,” Danny said, putting his phone on speaker and dialing Max who answered on the third ring.  
  
“Detective. How may I assist you today?” Max asked.  
  
“I need a huge favor,” Danny said, not seeing any reason to beat around the bush.  
  
“I will provide whatever help I may,” Max told him. Danny could hear the frown in his voice.  
  
“I need you to take as much blood as you can procure to our house,” Danny said as casually as he could. He didn’t want to make it sound like a huge deal so maybe Max wouldn’t freak out over it.  
  
“That’s a somewhat…unusual request,” Max finally said. “May I inquire as to the reason?”  
  
Danny glanced over at Steve who shrugged one shoulder. “We’re hosting a vampire who needs to eat.”  
  
There was complete silence on the other end, Danny wondering if the line had gone dead. But finally Max cleared his throat. “A…vampire.”  
  
“A vampire,” Danny confirmed. “Have you heard that Laura Hills was killed last night?”  
  
“I have heard a rumor to that effect. No one has consulted me about performing the official autopsy.”  
  
“There won’t be an autopsy,” Danny said. “Her body won’t be recovered.”  
  
“I do not wish to know how it is you are in possession of this information, do I?” Max asked.  
  
“No you do not. The vampire came to help me and Steve investigate her death. He was in a hurry to get here so didn’t bring his own blood supply. Right now, he’s asleep in our basement. In the freezer. When he wakes up, he’s going to need blood to eat.”  
  
“I see,” Max said although Danny was fairly confident Max did not see at all.  
  
“That’s why we need you to take the blood to our house. The other vampires are coming after sundown but will bring their own.”  
  
“The other vampires,” Max said in that considering tone he always took when he was trying to figure out something that didn’t quite make sense to him.  
  
“Yes. Five more are coming to help protect the house. They’ll join the Amaranthines who are already there.”  
  
There was another lengthy pause before Max spoke again, sounding tentative. “Amaranthines.”  
  
“Yes. Immortals. They exist just like vampires. In fact, Steve is immortal,” Danny said, Steve shrugging.  
  
“Commander McGarrett is an Amaranthine,” Max said as though hearing it in his own voice would help it make sense.  
  
“Yes he is. So is Grace. I’m not. The 13 Amaranthines who live in Hawaii are at our house, except Steve. We have reason to believe that Wo Fat is behind Laura Hills’ death and intends to make the Amaranthine moiety his next target. That’s why the vampires are coming to help.”  
  
“I see,” Max said again. “Perhaps in addition to supplying blood to the vampire, I will bring with me medical equipment. If the house is to become a target, medical attention will be required.”  
  
“Good point,” Danny agreed. “Thank you. You’ll be able to get the blood, right?”  
  
“That will pose no difficulties,” Max assured him, sounding a little less distressed. “Is there anything else I need to provide?”  
  
“I don’t think so,” Danny said. “Kawika and the Kapu are coming to help guard the moiety. Kamekona is going to cook and bring extra ammunition.”  
  
“Very well,” Max said. He sounded resigned to this new world he had been suddenly, unwillingly thrust into.  
  
“Oh. And Max,” Danny said, an edge of amusement in his voice.  
  
“Yes?” Max replied, all weary resignation in the one word.  
  
“The vampire looks almost exactly like Steve,” Danny informed him. They could hear Max sigh. What else was there for him to do?  
  
“Very well,” Max repeated. “I will take the blood and medical supplies. I will see you when you return home.”  
  
“Thanks, buddy. We owe you,” Steve said.  
  
“That is a correct assertion,” Max said before disconnecting.  
  
Danny could only smile ruefully at Steve. Max was going to help whether he completely understood or not.  
  
Steve glanced over at Danny where Danny was unconsciously rubbing over the bruise and punctures on his left arm. “The mark hurting you?”  
  
“Huh?” Danny responded, turning to focus on Steve.  
  
Steve nodded his head toward Danny’s arm. “Where he bit you? Is it hurting you?”  
  
“No, not really. Why?” Danny asked, looking down at the purpling mark.  
  
“You’ve been touching it almost non-stop,” Steve said. If there was the slightest hint of reproach, Danny wasn’t going to mention it.  
  
“I didn’t know I was,” Danny said, shaking his head in reinforcement. “It was just so strange. Besides making me hard like a rock. Which…clearly you were aware of. It was… I don’t know.”  
  
“He told you it was intimate,” Steve reminded him.  
  
“Yeah. You never fed a vampire, right?” Danny asked.  
  
“No. But Mick’s described it to me on more than one occasion. Are you sorry you agreed?”  
  
“No,” Danny said slowly. “Except now I feel…indebted to him. Which makes no sense. I don’t owe him anything.”  
  
“You don’t,” Steve said. “Am I going to have to worry about you climbing into the freezer?”  
  
Danny turned his head to study Steve’s profile. He was very intentionally following the movement of Chin’s car, refusing to meet Danny’s piercing blue gaze. “You are kidding, right?”  
  
“You wanted him. You said so yourself,” Steve said in a very tight, controlled voice.  
  
“Babe,” Danny said, reaching over to take his right hand. “I’m sorry you’re jealous. But there is no reason for you to be. There is one person and only one person I’m interested in sleeping with. And as far as I know, you don’t sleep in a freezer. If you decide to start, I’ll join you. Don’t think I’ll enjoy it but I’m wherever you are. You know that, right?”  
  
“You wanted to fuck him,” Steve said. The note of insecurity in his voice was nearly enough to break Danny’s heart.  
  
“At that second, yeah, maybe. Not once you touched me. Don’t you think the fact that he is nearly your spitting image has a little to do with my attraction?” Danny asked gently.  
  
“He doesn’t look that much like me,” Steve said, making Danny laugh.  
  
“All right. But let me tell you that if I saw either of you from a distance of 100 miles, I’d still know which was you. You are the only one I’m in love with.”  
  
“You can’t see 100 miles,” Steve said, his mood lighter.  
  
“Hyperbole, babe. To prove a point,” Danny said as they pulled up to the gates of the residence. There were at least 10 police cars already there, lights going, a dozen police, several dogs, and a couple of cars marked SBI.  
  
Steve pulled in behind Chin’s car, parking on the edge of the lawn. Captain Lloyd came up to them, waiting as they were all out of their cars.  
  
“Commander. Thank you for meeting us here. With Five-0’s help, surely we’ll find her,” the Captain said.  
  
“Any evidence to explain her disappearance?” Steve asked.  
  
“Not yet. We have a team upstairs in her office. Nothing’s been disturbed except one drawer in her desk. There were photos in the drawer, most of which are still there,” the Captain said, looking up at Steve.  
  
“What were the pictures of?” Danny finally asked when the Captain didn’t make any attempt to explain.  
  
“The Commander,” Lloyd said.  
  
“Steve?” Chin asked, looking from the Captain to Steve and back. “What is in the photos?”  
  
“Nothing incriminating,” the Captain assured them. “There are pictures of you stopping for lunch. Several of the two of you together. There is one that includes your daughter. Mundane, ordinary activities.”  
  
“What sense does that make?” Kono asked, her confusion reflecting that of the entire team.  
  
“Can we see them?” Danny asked.  
  
“They are still upstairs. The CSI tech didn’t move them once the determined what they were. The Lieutenant Governor is upstairs as well.”  
  
“All right,” Steve said, leading his team inside and up the stairs. The Governor’s home office was crowded with techs combing every inch for any evidence to explain her mysterious disappearance. “Lieutenant Governor,” Steve said when they stopped in front of Denning.  
  
“Commander. Thank you for bringing your team to help with the investigation. This is your only priority.”  
  
“Understood, sir,” Steve acknowledged. “Captain Lloyd said there are photos of me in her drawer?”  
  
Denning used his handkerchief to pull open the second drawer and took out a stack two inches high of printed photos. Steve picked them up after pulling on his gloves, going through them as Danny, Kono, and Chin looked on.  
  
“This is ridiculous. Look, here you are buying milk at the Pick ‘n’ Pay. What the hell?” Danny asked.  
  
“I can’t imagine why these pictures exist, sir,” Steve said to Denning, unable to do anything but shake his head.  
  
“Where were you after 10:30 last night?” Denning asked in a seemingly casual tone. But Steve could see there was nothing at all casual about the question.  
  
“Are you accusing Steve of something, sir?” Chin asked, stepping closer. Kono did as well until they were all standing shoulder to shoulder.  
  
“I am not. I am simply trying to understand why Governor Jameson has a pile of photos of Commander McGarrett. Perhaps he knew of them and was determined to destroy the evidence.”  
  
“The evidence of what?” Danny asked. “That he occasionally pays too much for milk when we run out?”  
  
Steve sighed quietly. Danny could see the wheels turning and wondered how much he was going to be forced to admit. And once he did, would Denning believe him? Would he be able to accept that there were Amaranthines and vampires in Hawaii?  
  
“It’s a reasonable question for him to ask, under the circumstances,” Steve said finally, not happy but resigned to the fact that the truth was going to have to come out. “If we can clear the room of everyone but us, I’ll be able to shed some light on where I was last night.”  
  
“Clear the room?” Denning repeated, looking over at the CSI techs.  
  
“Yes sir. There are some things we need to confide in you which we don’t necessarily want everyone else to know,” Danny explained.  
  
They waited as Denning considered their request, finally deciding it was a reasonable one for them to make. “Officers. If you would excuse us,” Denning said. The techs left their equipment mostly where it was, leaving the room to just Five-0 and the Lieutenant Governor.  
  
“At the time of the Governor’s disappearance, I was with Danny and a friend, a private investigator from LA. We were attempting to discover who killed Laura Hills.”  
  
“How do you know about that?” the Lt Governor asked sharply. “We haven’t released that information publically.”  
  
“We’re hardly the public, sir,” Danny pointed out.  
  
“As far as I am aware, no one contacted you to investigate her death,” Denning said in a hard voice.  
  
“No one official did, sir,” Steve agreed.  
  
“Then please tell me how you knew,” Denning demanded.  
  
“The fact is, sir, Laura Hills was an Amaranthine. As am I,” Steve said, watching Denning for his reaction.  
  
“An Amaranthine,” Denning said. It sounded a little like a question and a little like an accusation. “Those are legends. Folk tales.”  
  
“No, sir. They are not. I am an Amaranthine. Grace is too. Danny is mortal. Our friend Mick, the PI from LA, is a vampire,” Steve said.  
  
“There is no such thing,” Denning replied automatically.  
  
“That’s what I believed until last night when he showed up in our bedroom,” Danny said. “He helped us investigate her death. This morning, he used me for breakfast.” Danny pulled up his sleeve, showing the mark left over by Mick.  
  
“Where is this….vampire now?” Denning demanded.  
  
“Asleep in the freezer in our basement,” Steve said.  
  
“This is no time for jokes, Commander,” Denning said, low and angry.  
  
“He is completely serious, sir,” Chin said. “Mick is undead. He has to sleep where it’s cold.”  
  
“You are all talking nonsense,” Denning said, his anger growing.  
  
“We are not, sir,” Danny said, trying to reason with him. “It’s a lot to take in. But Steve _is_ immortal. He _is_ friends with a vampire. We were investigating Laura Hills’ death until sunrise.”  
  
Denning studied them in turn, his expression still reflecting his anger. “What business is her death to a vampire?” he finally asked.  
  
“Because she was an Amaranthine, sir,” Steve said. “She was murdered. We have reason to believe Wo Fat is behind it.”  
  
“Wo Fat,” Denning repeated, his tone hard, his anger flaring.  
  
“Yes sir. He’s also an Amaranthine. Or he was. Now he’s forsaken,” Steve explained.  
  
“Forsaken,” Denning said.  
  
“We’re pretty sure he has learned to manipulate time. That’s why the Governor doesn’t show up on the tapes when she left. Or was abducted,” Steve said.  
  
“That makes no sense,” Denning said, anger beginning to boil over. “There is no such thing as vampires. Or immortals.”  
  
“I am immortal, sir,” Steve said. “Just like Wo Fat. And Laura Hills.”  
  
“You said she was murdered.”  
  
“The only way to permanently kill an Amaranthine is to give us hemlock. Wo Fat used it to murder Laura,” Steve told him.  
  
Denning shook his head, staring at Steve. “If there were immortals or vampires in Hawaii, I think I’d know.”  
  
“Only if you were one, sir,” Danny said.  
  
“And you knew he was immortal?” Denning asked him.  
  
“Before I married him, yes. We adopted Grace because she’s one,” Danny said. “I’d never met a vampire until last night. There are five more coming to our house after sunset to help protect it.”  
  
“All right,” Denning said, holding up one hand. “Let’s suppose for a moment that what you are saying is true. I’m not convinced but _if_ it’s true, what does Wo Fat want with the Governor? Why kidnap her?”  
  
“We don’t know, sir,” Steve said. “Governor Jameson isn’t immortal.”  
  
“Have you been investigating Wo Fat?” Denning asked.  
  
“Only so far as my father’s murder is concerned. There are no active Five-0 investigations of him.”  
  
“And you believe he will be attacking your house?” Denning asked. They could see some of his anger and doubt fading. He wasn’t completely convinced but at least he didn’t seem to believe they were outright lying to him.  
  
“When a forsaken murders an Amaranthine, they steal our noumenons. It increases their power,” Steve explained.  
  
“Noumenons?” Denning asked. It was clear he was reluctant to know but it seemed important to understand.  
  
“Our souls, sir,” Steve said.  
  
“All right. All right,” Denning said, holding up one hand. “That still doesn’t explain why Governor Jameson had pictures of you in her drawer. Or why Wo Fat would have abducted her.”  
  
“I don’t have any answers for those questions,” Steve agreed. “We need to capture Wo Fat. Everything else will fall into place once we’ve done that.”  
  
“And how are you going to find him?” Denning asked Steve.  
  
“We aren’t, sir. We’re going to wait for him to come to us,” Steve said. Danny, Kono and Chin frowned at that but it made sense. It was a dangerous play but one that would no doubt work.  
  
“You are going to be the bait,” Denning said.  
  
“Yes sir. All the Amaranthines are at our house. He’s going to come after us. We only have to wait for him.”  
  
“And the Governor?” Denning asked.  
  
“Hopefully capturing Wo Fat will provide us those answers as well,” Steve said. “Captain Lloyd needs to continue the search. Publically and openly. We’ll wait for Wo Fat to come.”  
  
“Very well,” Denning said. “On one condition.”  
  
“What is that, sir?” Steve asked.  
  
“That I meet these vampires and immortals,” Denning said.  
  
“To what ends, sir?” Danny asked. “You could be putting yourself in harm’s way.”  
  
“If your daughter is an immortal, as you claim, you are intentionally putting her in harm’s way. I’m not entirely convinced what you’ve told me is accurate. Meeting those you say are there will reassure me that this is not some elaborate ruse on your part,” Denning said.  
  
Steve’s face was hard and unhappy about the demand. Danny was pretty sure it was because Steve resented being called a liar. But Danny couldn’t really blame Denning. Not entirely. Why should he believe there were vampires and immortals at their house? Danny certainly wouldn’t have if he weren’t living that new reality.  
  
“Boss,” Kono said, finally breaking the heavy silence of Steve’s displeasure. “You have to know how it sounds. Lieutenant Governor Denning is trying to make sense of it. Imagine hearing all this for the first time.”  
  
“Thank you, Officer Kalakaua,” Denning said with a nod. “If you want to return home, I will be going with you.”  
  
“Very well,” Steve finally agreed. “But you’ll need to leave our house shortly after sundown. After the rest of the vampires arrive. I don’t want to have to guard you as well.”  
  
“Understood,” Denning said. “Return home. I’ll make my excuses, return to my office then slip out.”  
  
“Please bring at least one member of your detail,” Danny requested.  
  
“Of course,” Denning agreed. “I’ll be at your house in about an hour.”  
  
“An hour,” Steve acknowledged. “Chin, you and Kono stay here for a reasonable length of time, then come home.”  
  
“Roger that,” Chin agreed. He and Kono went into the hallway to discuss the investigation, Denning still considering everything he had heard.  
  
“You should have told us the truth,” Denning finally said to Steve, disapproval in his tone.  
  
“There was no reason for the Governor to know,” Steve said. “It doesn’t matter to my day-to-day routines.”  
  
“Does the Navy know?” Denning asked.  
  
“Yes sir. I’ve served several times. They actively recruit Amaranthines to save on training,” Steve said.  
  
“I suppose that makes sense,” the Lieutenant Governor agreed. “All right. Do I need to call before I come?”  
  
“If you will call when you are on Piikoi Street, it will be helpful,” Danny said.  
  
“I will,” Denning agreed. “I’ll see you in an hour.”  
  
Steve and Danny nodded in agreement, leaving the Governor’s office. Danny could tell by the unnatural stiffness in Steve’s body that their encounter had not gone the way he would have preferred. Danny wasn’t thrilled that the Lieutenant Governor had accused them all of lying either. But it was true what he had said - anyone would have reason to doubt it the first time they heard it.  
  
“We need to show him the pictures of you. From your previous lives,” Danny said when they had finally made their way to Steve’s truck. They had stopped and talked to Captain Lloyd who said he would alert them with the first scrap of information they found.  
  
“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “They’re at home.”  
  
“I wonder if Grace has any. Would she be in any reference books? Could we look her up?” Danny asked.  
  
“I don’t think so. Even if we found her, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell it was her. She would look very different at 60 than she does right now.”  
  
“Yeah,” Danny agreed. “Did you call Jack?”  
  
“No. I guess I should,” Steve said, pulling his phone out. “Hey Dad.”  
  
“What’s wrong?” Jack said immediately.  
  
Steve explained the situation, Jack asking a few pointed questions.  
  
“Why did the Governor have those photos?” Jack asked.  
  
“That’s something we can’t answer,” Steve said. “It makes no sense.”  
  
“You know I suspected Jameson and Wo Fat were aligned. That’s the main reason he had me killed,” Jack said.  
  
“I haven’t found any evidence to connect them, Jack,” Steve said. “I wish I could.”  
  
“Sounds to me like you are about to blow the lid off the whole thing,” Jack said.  
  
“Could be,” Steve agreed.  
  
“How are you holding up, Danny?” Jack asked.  
  
“You know. We may be homeless before it’s over. How’s Cleveland this time of year?”  
  
Jack laughed at the question. “Beautiful. I’ll be there to help you rebuild if it comes to that. And the basement is fortified against almost anything.”  
  
“One of the reasons we’re at our house,” Steve agreed.  
  
“Tell the Moiety I said hello. And I’ll try to get back to Hawaii before too much longer,” Jack said.  
  
“We will. And we’ll keep you posted,” Steve promised before disconnecting. “I wish he were here.”  
  
“I know, babe. We’re going to get through this. All of us,” Danny said. “Although it would have been nice if you’d told _me_ we were going to be bait. So I wasn’t the last to know. _Husband_ , remember? You discuss these things. If you were normal… which… well. There you go.”  
  
“You done?” Steve asked.  
  
“For now,” Danny decided.  
  
“I hadn’t planned to use us as bait. Until it occurred to me that no matter what else happens, Wo Fat will be making a run for the Amaranthines. We have enough protection that he can’t possibly win.”  
  
“I’m not saying it’s not a sound strategy, SEAL-boy. I’m saying I really like our house and would like it to still be standing tomorrow.”  
  
“SEAL-boy?” Steve asked.  
  
“That’s your take away? You are not right in the head,” Danny said in overly exaggerated despair. Steve just laughed. 

 


	10. Mortals and Amaranthines and Vampires. Oh my!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They prepare for the attack by Wo Fat's forces. 
> 
> Good triumphs in the end.

  
Danny called the house phone as Steve was turning onto Piikoi Street. Danny had no idea who answered but the man on the other end said he would tell those on patrol that they would be arriving shortly.  
  
“Who was that?” Steve asked when Danny had hung up.  
  
“I have absolutely no idea,” Danny said. “Maybe I’ve met him. Maybe I haven’t.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve said, pulling the truck onto the side of the road. There was no space left in their driveway or yard.   
  
“Howzit,” a heavily tattooed Hawaiian asked as they entered through the front gates. He was holding the leash of a large dog that looked as though it would enjoy having Steve and Danny for lunch. A whistle from the man settled him down. “Told us you were on the way.”  
  
“Thanks for coming,” Steve said. “Kawika around?”  
  
“Out back,” the man said, nodding that way.  
  
“Mahalo,” Steve said, going with Danny up to the house. The door was still wide open, the living room filled with people on the couch, the chairs, the floor, every available space. The TV was playing a movie Danny recognized as belonging to Grace but didn’t pay it enough attention to figure out which one it was.  
  
Those gathered in the living room asked what they had learned, concerned when Steve and Danny said there was no sign of the Governor and nothing to explain her disappearance. She was not on the tape leaving the residence. A worried hush fell over the room at that news.  
  
“What are we going to do?” “How are we going to find Wo Fat?” “Something has to be done.”  
  
Steve held up one hand, a silence descending. “We aren’t going to hunt Wo Fat. We’re going to wait for him.” This led to some quiet but intense discussion among those gathered. Their voices drew people from the kitchen and the dining room, all the voices talking about what this could mean.  
  
“We know there are inherent risks,” Danny finally said. Everyone focused on him and Steve. Kawika and Naolkupa had joined them on the steps, in support and in consultation. “But we also know he’s coming. He has to be stopped. This will ensure that he is.”  
  
“The haole makes sense,” Kawika said. “The ultimate outcome will be his defeat. We will protect the Moiety. No harm will come to you.”  
  
“It’s still a risk,” a worried voice said from near the front door.  
  
“We know it is,” Steve confirmed. “If we thought we had a better chance of finding Wo Fat, we’d do that. But I’ve been chasing him for three years. This is the closest I’ve come. He wants our noumenons. We’re going to put an end to him when he comes to try collect them.”  
  
His words caused more discussion, the consensus finally being that the idea was risky but sound. “The basement is reinforced,” Steve said. “The mortals and children will go down there.” This caused the mortals to argue, Steve not surprised. “All right. I disagree but mortals who wish to fight will be armed.”  
  
There was additional discussion about strategy, the Moiety finally deciding that it would work and they would all remain safe. There was tension in the air but most everyone felt confident about the fight to come.  
  
“Where’s Grace?” Steve asked Jenna when everyone had gone back to what passed for normal while waiting for their own version of war.  
  
“In the basement. Asleep. She needed a nap but didn’t want Mick to sleep by himself,” Jenna explained.  
  
“Ah,” Danny said. “How long has she been down there? Making sure Mick is okay?”  
  
“I took her right after you left,” Jenna said.   
  
“Okay. We’ll go down and check on her,” Steve said, Danny following him to the basement.  
  
“Hey,” Danny said when they reached the bottom of the steps. Grace was sitting up on her Princess sleeping bag, coloring. Charlie was on the edge of Steve’s old GI Joe sleeping bag, playing with Legos, building what looked like a fort. Michelle and Garry were at an old table, quietly playing cards and keeping an eye on the two little ones.   
  
“Danno. Daddy,” Grace said quietly, springing out of her sleeping bag to race over to them. “I missed you.”  
  
“We missed you too, baby. Did you nap?” Steve asked. Danny was holding her in his arms like he had no intention of ever letting her go.  
  
“Uh huh. We came down to make sure Mick wasn’t lonely,” Grace explained.  
  
“That was an excellent plan, baby,” Danny said, kissing her head. “Thank you,” he said to Michelle and Garry when Grace started chatting with Steve.  
  
They smiled and nodded, returning to their cards.  
  
“I colored you a picture,” she said, going over to her sleeping bag when Danny had put her down. She retrieved a picture of the princesses in all their spectacular colors.  
  
“This is perfect, Grace,” Steve told her, squatting down to admire it. “What do you say we put it on the side of the freezer so Mick will see it first thing when he wakes up?”  
  
“Can we?” she asked with a smile.  
  
“If you would like to, we sure can,” Danny told her.  
  
“I want to do that,” Grace agreed with a lot of nodding.  
  
“It’s settled then,” Steve said, getting some tape from one of the shelves set up next to the couch. He was once again glad that his adopted grandfather had had the foresight to reinforce the basement and make it as cozy as a basement possibly could be.  
  
“That’s quite a complex fort, Charlie,” Danny said when he was crouched down next to him.  
  
“It’s to keep the Moiety safe,” Charlie explained seriously.  
  
“That will certainly do it,” Steve confirmed. “Excellent job.”  
  
“Did you have lunch, Daddies?” Grace asked.  
  
“Not yet. Did you eat?” Danny asked her.  
  
“No. Can we go up now? Will Mick be okay?”  
  
“I think he’ll be fine by himself for a little while,” Steve agreed. “We’ll have lunch. Then if you want to come down to make sure, I know he’d appreciate it.”  
  
“’Kay. Charlie will come back down too, right?” Grace asked.  
  
“Uh huh. Will you?” Charlie asked Michelle and Garry.  
  
“We’ll be here, Charlie,” Garry promised.  
  
“We have that old TV we can bring down here. If we don’t turn it up too loud, it won’t bother Mick,” Danny offered.  
  
“Could we, Danno?” Grace asked. “And watch movies?”  
  
“Yes, baby. And watch movies,” Danny agreed with a kiss. “Right now we all need to go up and eat.” He herded the kids up, Steve right behind him.   
  
“He has on his briefs, right?” Steve whispered to Danny as they entered the kitchen.  
  
“Roger that,” Danny said before greeting Kamekona with cheers and insults, as always. “And no spam.”  
  
“Brah. You’re Hawaiian now. You gots to learn to eat like it,” Kamekona said, shaking his head in continued dismay.  
  
“Excuse me, Commander, Detective,” Max said as he entered the kitchen. He had on his most confused expression, looking like he might bolt from the house at any second. He was carrying an enormous red tool-box with EMS printed on it. With his left hand, he was pulling a cooler on wheels, the top secured with bungee cords. “I apologize for the delay. I had to gather the necessary items.”  
  
“You aren’t late,” Steve assured him. “We just got back. And Mick is still asleep. He won’t wake for another few hours.”  
  
“I see,” Max said, glancing over his shoulder at all the people in the house. “These are all immortals?”  
  
“No,” Steve said. “There are 13 of us. Counting Grace. And Naolkupa. Do you know her?”  
  
“I am not familiar with her,” Max said with a considering tone. “Is she a medical professional?”  
  
“She’s a mundunugu. I’ve asked if she’ll help you,” Steve said.  
  
“Yes. That is a logical assignment,” Max agreed. “I was greeted by a rather large dog upon my arrival.”  
  
“Yeah. Sorry,” Danny said. “We should have warned you to call ahead.”  
  
“The preparations seem…thorough. I managed to procure six pints of blood. I would suggest you place them in the refrigerator but I suspect that will not be possible.”  
  
“Not really,” Danny said. “It should be okay in the cooler until the frig has room. By which time we may not need it any longer.”  
  
“Indeed,” Max said. “If Naolkupa  and I are to be responsible for providing first aid, may we be designated an area where we can prepare?”  
  
“Naolkupa recommended we set you up in the garage,” Danny said. “We can reinforce it. There’s water. We can move a couple of cots out there.”  
  
“While it is not ideal, the proximity to water is crucial. Having the washing machine close at hand could also prove valuable,” Max said.  
  
“Good. As soon as we have lunch, we’ll take care of preparing the garage,” Steve agreed.  
  
“We have plenty of plastic drop-clothes from when we painted the bedrooms,” Danny said. “That will help.”  
  
“I’ll call some cousins for sandbags,” Kamekona said, taking out his phone.   
  
“Sandbags,” Danny said with a sigh.   
  
“It’s going to be fine, Danno,” Steve assured him. “Come eat. Then we’ll start preparations.”  
  
“Yeah. All right,” Danny said, taking Grace’s hand to go with her into the dining room.   
  
While they were eating, they discussed the strategy for the coming siege. Kawika and Naolkupa joined them, listening, offering advice, agreeing to their roles. They introduced Naolkupa to Max, who immediately began to discuss what they needed to do to be well prepared for the upcoming situation.  
  
“And around sundown, we need to start turning off our cell phones,” Steve said.  
  
“Turning them off?” Danny asked as he gave Grace more salad.  
  
“We don’t need him to know how many of us are still in the house. We’ll need to move the cars. And he’ll cut the electricity.”  
  
“How can you be sure?” Danny asked.  
  
“Because it’s what I’d do,” Steve admitted. He pretended he didn’t see Danny’s frown. What was there to say?  
  
“The hurricane lamps are mostly in the garage. Some are in the basement but we’ll need to leave those,” Danny said, concentrating on not thinking about what Steve’s strategy would be if he were the one about to lead the attack rather than defend against it.  
  
“The vampires won’t need flashlights for patrol. That will help,” Steve said.  
  
“Will the dogs respond to the commands of the vampires?” Max asked. He wasn’t eating but he was enjoying a gigantic glass of fresh squeezed lemonade as he talked with Naolkupa, a kindred spirit. Except her years of living had made her far less socially awkward than was her natural inclination.   
  
“We’ll introduce them,” Kawika said. “When we give them the commands, they will work with anyone.”  
  
“Good. Oh – the Lieutenant Governor will be here shortly,” Danny said to the surprise of everyone gathered. That led to them explaining the circumstances, the Moiety not pleased that Denning would doubt Steve.  
  
“But like Danno said, if we were hearing it for the first time, we’d have our doubts,” Steve pointed out.  
  
“Hey Boss,” Kono said as she and Chin entered the dining room. “No news.”  
  
“I didn’t expect there would be,” Steve said reluctantly. “Come and eat.”  
  
Chin and Kono joined those at the table, accepting a portion of the items Kamekona had prepared.   
  
Once they had finished their lunch, Steve and Danny left Grace with Jenna and went into the garage with several others to begin securing the hurricane shutters. They dispatched some of the Kapu to help attach them to all the windows. Steve explained to Danny that it would protect those inside as well as disguise their movements and their number.  
  
“I hate this,” Danny whispered as they hunted for more screws.  
  
“I know. I do too,” Steve said, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. “But if we’re lucky, life will be back to semi-normal tomorrow.”  
  
“I hope you’re right,” Danny said, reaching up for a small jar filled with screws. “Paol. More screws.”   
  
“Thanks, brah,” he said, accepting them and leaving the garage. He passed Chin on his way in. “Chin Ho.”  
  
“Hey,” Danny said, turning to greet Chin.   
  
“The Lieutenant Governor is here,” Chin informed them.   
  
“All right,” Steve said, taking down the last bin of screws. “Max, Naolkupa, can you handle directing the Kapu? The sandbags should be here in the next half an hour.”  
  
“Certainly,” Max agreed, Naolkupa also nodding in agreement before they both returned to giving directions to those assigned to assist them.   
  
Knowing Max and Naolkupa had it under control, Steve and Danny went into the living room to find the Lieutenant Governor in the middle of a circle of angry immortals. He looked out of place with his impeccable grey suit, his starched white shirt and subtle yellow paisley tie.  
  
“Why would he lie?” “When did you begin to doubt his word?” “Do you know the same Steve McGarrett that the rest of us know?”  
  
“We discussed this,” Steve reminded them, making his way to the center of the group. “You would have had a hard time comprehending it.”  
  
Some of the immortals still shook their heads but backed away.   
  
“Commander. Detective,” Denning said to them. “This is quite a crowd.”  
  
“It is,” Steve agreed, reaching down to pick up Grace. “Gracey, you remember Lieutenant Governor Denning, don’t you?”  
  
“Uh huh,” she said, her wide brown eyes studying him. “Daddy doesn’t lie.”  
  
“I know that, sweetie,” Denning said. “But it’s a little hard to take in the first time you hear it.”  
  
Grace shrugged, looping one arm around Steve’s neck. “Are you showing him the old pictures?”  
  
“I was planning to,” Steve agreed. He nodded when Danny left Steve’s side to go and find them. “We are putting up the hurricane shutters. Max and Naolkupa are preparing the garage to administer first aid. Kamekona is cooking.”  
  
Denning nodded at the list of preparations, seemingly in agreement with their plans. If he didn’t know the identity of all those Steve had named, he did not comment. He accepted the photos from Danny when he returned, looking down at them before looking back at Steve. “While it doesn’t seem possible, this is clearly you.”  
  
“It is,” Steve confirmed. “I’ve died 10 times. I was born in 1477. Grace was born in 1332, she thinks. Records weren’t really important back then.”  
  
“I was born in 1733,” Stan said, the Lieutenant Governor turning to look at him. “Charlie was born in 1674.”  
  
The other Amaranthines told Denning when they were born, Grace the oldest among them, although she was also the youngest currently living in Hawaii. Denning shook his head but not in doubt as much in amazement.  
  
“And your friend, the vampire?” Denning asked.  
  
“He’s sleepin’,” Grace told him. “In the freezer.”  
  
“Will it disturb him if I go down to see?” Denning asked.  
  
“No,” Danny said, waving toward the basement door. “Kawika is down there hooking up the TV.”  
  
“I’ll show you,” Grace said, taking Denning's hand and going with him to the basement. Denning said hello to Kawika who was connecting the TV with the help of one of his friends. They nodded at the greetings but turned right back to their project. “Here he is,” Grace said when they were standing next to the freezer.  
  
“Is this your picture?” he asked, squatting next to her.  
  
“Uh huh. It’s the princesses.”  
  
“It sure is,” Denning said. “You did an excellent job.”  
  
“Thank you,” she said with a shy smile. “Daddies said I should leave it here so Mick would see it when he first woke up.”  
  
“That’s an excellent idea,” Denning agreed. “Have you known him for a long time?”  
  
“This life and the one before. Maybe the one before that?” Grace said. “Mick hasn’t been a vampire very long.”  
  
“I see,” Denning said.   
  
“I’ve been keeping him company down here. So he won’t be lonely,” Grace explained.  
  
“I think that is an excellent idea,” Denning agreed. “Have you been by yourself?”  
  
“No. Charlie comes down. And Michelle and Garry.”  
  
“Sounds like fun,” Denning said. “I should go back up. Are you staying here?”  
  
“I’ll come with,” Grace said, taking his hand to lead him upstairs. “Daddies,” she announced when they were back up.  
  
“Hey baby,” Danny said. “Mick still asleep?”  
  
“Uh huh. Kawika’s putting in the TV.”  
  
“Good,” Danny said with a nod, picking her up.  
  
“What can I do to help?” Denning asked, surprising Danny.  
  
“You’ll need to ask Steve,” Danny said. “He’s the one giving the orders.”  
  
“I’ll check in with him,” Denning agreed. It wasn’t hard to find Steve in the middle of the front yard, directing traffic.  
  
“Sir,” Steve said in acknowledgment.   
  
“What can I do to help?” Denning asked, surprising Steve just as his question had surprised Danny.  
  
“Are you sure? I understood you were leaving right away,” Steve said.  
  
“There is still some time before sunset. I will remain until the vampires arrive,” the Lieutenant Governor said. “Anything I can do to help retrieve the Governor is my priority.”  
  
“Of course,” Steve said. “I have some tee shirts upstairs.”  
  
“Right,” Denning said, looking down at his suit. “I am a little overdressed for stacking sandbags.”  
  
“Grace will show where to find them, if you want,” Steve said.  
  
“Very good,” Denning agreed, retuning into the house. It was only a moment later that Danny came out and over to Steve.  
  
“Well,” Danny said. “Passed Denning on his way up to find a shirt.”  
  
“I’m surprised,” Steve agreed. “But it’s another set of hands.”  
  
“True. Although I think he wants to stay to see the vampires,” Danny said.  
  
“Maybe. Doesn’t really matter,” Steve pointed out. “Did someone get the extra supplies out of the attic?”  
  
“Chin and Kono are on it. Max and Naolkupa are covering every inch of the garage with plastic. The sandbags will be here in 15 minutes. Kamekona is cooking enough food for all of Oahu.”  
  
“How much bottled water do we have?” Steve asked as another car left the front yard.  
  
“At least 100 bottles. That’s plenty, surely.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “You got all the ammo out of the gun safe?”  
  
“I did. There’s some in every room. Stan is making sure that the guns they brought match the ammo we have,” Danny said, trying not to sound as overwhelmed as the whole idea made him.  
  
“Good,” Steve said. “I got the grenades out of the Camaro. You need to get the hemlock out of the truck. Put it in the safe so the immortals can’t touch it by accident.”  
  
“Got it,” Danny agreed, turning back for the house. He stopped when Steve grasped his wrist and reeled him back in for a kiss. “What’s that for?”  
  
“Nothing special,” Steve said. The others in the front yard pretended they didn’t see the private moment between the two of them, continuing to organize and remove the cars.  
  
“I love you too,” Danny said.  
  
Steve nodded, watching as Danny went to the truck before disappearing into the house with the bota.  
  
~0~  
  
The last streaks of yellow were fading out of the sky when the front door opened to admit five unnaturally pale newcomers.   
  
“Steve. Danny. Vampires are here,” someone called.   
  
Steve and Danny left the garage to greet the five arrivals, thanking them for coming. Elise introduced herself before introducing the other four vampires. They were almost indistinguishable from those already gathered in the house except for their nearly translucent white skin and very dark hair.   
  
“Where is Mick?” one of the vampires named Jimmy asked in curiosity.  
  
“I’m right here,” Mick said as he emerged from the vicinity of the garage, swiping the back of his hand across his very red mouth. “I was having dinner.”  
  
The vampires laughed at that for reasons the others could not fathom before greeting Mick with hugs and questions about mutual acquaintances, in particular Josef.  
  
“This is Lieutenant Governor Denning,” Steve said when Denning come into the living room from the basement. The Lieutenant Governor stopped, staring at Mick before turning to stare at Steve.  
  
“Surprising, isn’t it?” Kono said with a laugh.  
  
“I’m not sure that’s the word I would use,” Denning said, still staring between them. “It’s unbelievable.”  
  
“It is,” Danny confirmed. “What were the chances, right?”  
  
“Exactly,” Denning said, glancing at the other vampires. “Hello.”  
  
“Lieutenant Governor,” the vampire named Fran said. She was smiling, showing off slightly sharper canine teeth than the other vampires were displaying. Danny thought he might ask Steve about the difference later, not that it mattered.  
  
“Now that reinforcements have arrived, I should probably take my leave,” the Lieutenant Governor said to Steve.  
  
“Thank you for your…” Anything else Steve would have said was cut off by the sounds of gunfire. Everyone in the living room automatically crouched down, Danny crawling over to Steve.  
  
“Is Grace in the basement?” Danny asked urgently, his expression conveying his fears for her.  
  
“She is,” Denning said. “With Charlie, Michelle, and Garry.”  
  
“All right,” Steve said loudly enough for everyone to hear over the continued gunshots. “You know your jobs.”  
  
They quickly scattered, some going upstairs, some approaching the front of the house, several going toward the back.   
  
“We’re outside,” Mick said, distributing the guns to the vampires.  
  
“Be careful,” Danny said, a hand on Mick’s arm.  
  
“We’ll be fine. Immortal, remember,” Mick said with a smile that was so eerily familiar.  
  
“The gunshots are coming from the house,” Steve told Danny. “Upstairs.”  
  
“I’m on it,” Danny agreed, keeping low and going up the steps. He found Kawika in Grace’s room, peering out through one of the shotgun gaps in the shutter. “What’s up?”  
  
“They are approaching from the northwest,” Kawika said. “A dozen of them.”  
  
“All right,” Danny said. “You copy that?” he asked Steve via comm link.  
  
“ _Got it_ ,” Steve confirmed, contacting Mick to make sure he’d also heard over comm link. Steve told Mick to have the vampires to track down Wo Fat’s advance team, Mick acknowledging. Mick’s orders to his friends echoed in the six earsets they had been able to procure.  
  
“Let me know if there is anything you need from us,” Danny told Kawika before going back downstairs to find Steve. He was still watching out through the shotgun gaps in the front windows, his intense focus shifting to Danny when he touched his shoulder.  
  
Steve turned to look over at the Lieutenant Governor with a concerned expression and the words on the tip of his tongue to tell him to go downstairs with the children.  
  
“Don’t bother, Steve,” Denning said. “I’m going to the garage to help Max and Naolkupa. It’s been a while but I had some advanced first aid training. Enough to help bandage and dress the less serious injuries.”  
  
“The basement is really a better option,” Steve tried.   
  
“It is. But not for me,” Denning said, accepting a gun from Danny and putting in the back of his trousers. With that, he carefully made his way to the garage.  
  
“If he gets killed, I’m in so much trouble,” Steve whispered to Danny.  
  
“He’ll be fine. He knows enough to keep his head down,” Danny assured him. “Hey,” he said to Kono, Chin, and Jenna when they had come to join them at the front of the house. Chin had one of the earsets but there weren’t enough to equip Kono and Jenna.  
  
“Two of the vampires saw movement on the beach,” Chin reported. “We’re going up to your bedroom to see if we can spot them.”  
  
“Copy that,” Steve said. Kono and Chin both had their sniper rifles, Jenna wearing extra ammo across her chest like a badge of honor. “Be careful.”  
  
“You know it,” Kono said, leaving with the other two.  
  
“I’m going to check on the kids,” Danny said to Steve’s nods. That left Steve to concentrate on trying to catch a glimpse of movement outside the window.   
  
The four kids in the basement were watching the steps breathlessly as Danny made his way down. He easily caught Grace when she flung herself into his arms, squeezing him tight.  
  
“We heard…we heard guns,” Grace said in a rush.  
  
“I know, baby. That’s why you need to stay down here. I’ll come check on you as often as I can.”  
  
“Will you be okay, Daddy?” Grace asked, her brown eyes filled with tears.  
  
“Of course I will. Daddy and I are used to catching the bad guys,” Danny assured her before turning to Garry. “Go ahead and light the lanterns. That way if the electricity is cut, you’ll already be prepared.”  
  
Garry nodded, lighting them with Charlie’s help.  
  
“Do you need anything?” Danny asked Michelle who shook her head.  
  
“We’re fine. We have snacks. We brought down puppets in case the TV stops working,” she assured him.  
  
“Good thinking. All right. Steve still has his phone on if you need us,” Danny said, reluctantly putting Grace down and squatting next to her. “I’ll be back down as soon as I can.”  
  
“Okay,” Grace said, holding him tight. “Take care of Daddy.”  
  
“I will,” Danny agreed, going back up the steps before his heart broke into even smaller pieces at the lost expression on her face.  
  
The gunshots had multiplied while Danny was in the basement, the barrage of sound constant, coming from inside and out. There were a few visible holes in the front wall, those defending it crouched as low as they could be. Steve rose up periodically to return fire, Stan next to him firing into the dark.  
  
“What’s the situation?” Danny asked Steve when he was crouched low next to him.  
  
“A dozen hostiles in front. Six on the beach. Elise thinks she spotted Wo Fat and is checking,” Steve reported.  
  
“Injuries?” Danny asked, reflectively sinking lower at the new round of bullets echoing off the shutters.  
  
“Not sure,” Steve said, rising up to return fire. “You’ll check?”  
  
“Right,” Danny confirmed, keeping low as he made his way to the garage. He passed seven mortals and Amaranthines shooting out the shotgun gaps, their focus firm and unwavering.   
  
“Hello,” Danny said when he entered the garage. There was a vampire at the garage door, looking out the gap in the shutter, two Kapu at the door that accessed the beach. None of the cots were occupied although the Lieutenant Governor was at the sink with Naolkupa helping a young woman Danny couldn’t remember meeting. Naolkupa was washing her arm and explaining the process to Denning. Some blood was staining the sink but it didn’t appear serious so Danny left them to it.  
  
“Detective,” Max said, pushing his glasses up his nose. He was sitting on a low stool with a slightly shell-shocked expression.  
  
“You okay there, buddy?” Danny asked, sitting next to him.  
  
“I am fine,” Max said, sounding doubtful about the veracity of his own statement.  
  
“I know you aren’t used to being in the thick of the action,” Danny said, ducking when a new round of shoots sounded. Max also grimaced, lowering his body. “Is there anything I can do to help?”  
  
“Thank you, no. Naolkupa and I have it under control with Sam’s assistance,” Max finally said.  
  
Danny nodded and left, returning to find Steve. “So Max won’t call us by our names but now he’s getting help from _Sam_ ,” Danny said, shaking his head in wonder at it all.  
  
“Huh,” Steve said, firing several rounds out the window before focusing on Danny. “They need anything?”  
  
“No,” Danny said, taking up one of the sniper rifles and peering into the darkness surrounding the house. He’d been listening halfway to the conversations in his ear, registering that Mick and his friends were tracking Wo Fat with the help of the Kapu’s dog.   
  
“ _We think he’s still in the vicinity_ ,” Mick was saying as Danny strained to see movement out the window. As he was trying to find something worth shooting at, the lights in the house went out but failed to plunge them into darkness. The strategically placed hurricane lamps provided enough light that those inside the house could navigate and continue to take care of their responsibilities with no interruption.  
  
“Any sign of Governor Jameson?” Steve asked.  
  
 _“Not that we’ve seen. We think we’ve spotted their vehicles. Are going to investigate,”_ Mick informed them.  
  
“Copy that,”Steve said, shooting out the window. Return fire erupted, bullets pinging off the shutters. There was a loud grunt from their left, Danny glancing over in time to see one of the Amaranthines cover a bullet wound with his hand. “Get to the garage,” Steve ordered.   
  
The Amaranthine nodded, making his way with the help of his mortal wife.  
  
“What’s his name?” Danny asked quietly, staring out the window.  
  
“I’ve told you six times,” Steve said.  
  
“So tell me one more time,” Danny said, shooting at the movement he could see. “What does it cost you?”  
  
“His name in this life is He'kaip. His wife’s name is Pe’mle,” Steve said. “How can you not remember?”  
  
“Shut up,” Danny said.  
  
 _“You two done?”_ Chin asked in a familiar, fondly scolding voice.  
  
 _“They always like this?”_ Mick’s voice asked.  
  
 _“Always,”_ a chorus of voices responded.  
  
“Enough with the chatter,” Steve said, trying for stern. The returning soft laughter confirmed he had not entirely succeeded.  
  
~0~   
  
Danny completely lost track of time, what with the continual the rounds of gunfire sounding inside and outside the house. Steve lobbed a few grenades out onto the beach but Danny thought that was as much for show as in an effort to take out Wo Fat’s forces. Although the explosions did put a momentary halt to the gunfire rattling the back of the house.   
  
He eventually made his way downstairs to find Michelle and Garry talking quietly, Garry’s hand on Charlie’s back, Michelle on Grace’s as the younger children slept fitfully. The older two assured him they would be in contact if any of them needed him.  
  
In a quick stop by the garage, he found two mortals with minor gunshot wounds, one Amaranthine that had burned her hand on a lantern, and one Vampire who had come in to have his arm looked at. There was a large, angry gash on his forearm, which Danny did not stay to watch Naolkupa to sew up. The vampire was drinking from a glass, a substance Danny was certain was blood.   
  
He reported all of his findings to Steve who had returned to the front of the house, listening to Mick.  
  
 _“We think we found the Governor,”_ Mick said quietly. _“At least what’s left of her.”  
  
_ “C.O.D?”Steve asked as neutrally as he could.  
  
 _“If I didn’t know better, I’d say one of us had done it. She seems to be drained of all blood,”_ Mick said.  
  
“He probably did it to make it look like your responsibility,” Steve said. “Where did you discover her?”  
 _  
“She apparently washed up on your beach. But I’m skeptical,_ ” Mick said.   
  
“Could explain why someone planted the pictures of me in her office. Add to the suspension that I was involved in killing her. With the help of the Vampires,” Steve said.  
  
“Yeah. We’d know if she was there before the attack started,” Danny said. “I’ll go tell Denning.”  
  
“Copy that,” Steve said with a sharp nod.  
  
Danny made his way back through the house, keeping as low as possible. As he reached the door to the garage, a sharp, piercing pain in his side made him stumble, Naolkupa catching him.  
  
“Danny,” she said quietly, her eyes wide and frightened. He looked down at where her hand was covering his, both of them bathed in blood.  
  
“Oh,” he breathed. “Didn’t know it was bad.”  
  
“Come here, come here,” she urged, helping him over to one of the cots. Max was there immediately, applying pressure to the gunshot wound, making Danny squirm from the pain.  
  
“You need to lay still, Detective. _Sam_ ,” he called.  
  
Danny allowed his head to turn enough to see the Lieutenant Governor immediately come over. Everything was turning muddy as he watched and he wondered if he had sustained a head injury. Was there blood dripping in his eyes? Was that why it was getting so hard to see?  
  
“Stay with us, Danny,” Denning’s voice said. He had a firm hold of Danny’s hand, Danny thinking that the Lieutenant Governor’s hands were huge, bigger than Steve’s. But then he was taller so that made sense. But why was Max yelling? Max never yelled. Was he mad at Danny for something? Well. It was all too much to figure out. And he was so tired. So, so tired. He’d just fall asleep for a minute and then he’d get up and….  
  
“No,” Steve said as he entered the garage, not keeping as low as he should. Naolkupa had brought him to the garage, her expression grim.  
  
“I’m sorry, Commander. There is nothing we can do,” Max said sadly, stepping back away from the cot where Danny was laying too still and too pale.  
  
“No,” Steve repeated, kneeling next to Danny. “Open your eyes, babe. You can’t leave me.” Steve was pleading with him but there was not response. Danny’s breathing was almost non-existent. His eyes did not move, his hands laying unnaturally still by his sides. “Danno. I can’t do this without you,” Steve whispered, leaning down to kiss Danny’s forehead. “Please, babe. For me. For Gracey. Stay with us.”  
  
“Commander,” Max said gently, a hand on Steve’s shoulder.   
  
Steve looked up at him in desperation. “There’s got to be something you can do.”  
  
“There’s not. I’m sorry,” Max said, shaking his head sadly.  
  
“No, no, no,” Steve said, holding tight to Danny. He could feel the life drain away from him, Danny’s last remaining warmth soaking into Steve’s skin. “Danno,” Steve said, kissing him for what he knew in his heart was the last time. “I’m so sorry. This is my fault. I should have protected you.”  
  
There was nothing to be done. Those in the garage could only turn away from the grief blanketing Steve as he whispered to Danny.  
  
Steve felt completely numb as he finally released Danny, sitting back on his haunches, ignoring the tears staining his face. “I’m so sorry,” he mumbled down to his bloody hands clasped tightly in his lap.  
  
“What have you done now?” Danny asked, turning to stare at Steve with his bright blue eyes.  
  
“Danny? Danny, are you all right?” Steve asked, excitement and fear and grief all fighting for supremacy.  
  
“My side hurts like hell. Why? What’s happened? Who died? Is Grace okay?” Danny asked, starting to sit up before realizing that was out of the question.  
  
“Grace is fine. You died….oh,” Steve said in realization. “I was crying.” He reinforced his words by wiping tears from his chin.  
  
“You cried,” Danny said, licking his lips. “You have gone and made me immortal, haven’t you?”  
  
“You died,” Steve repeated, eyes wide.  
  
“So you’re answer was naturally to turn me into an Amaranthine,” Danny said in exhausted exasperation.  
  
“I could have turned you into a Vampire,” Mick said, looking down at him, expression amused.  
  
“Are you bringing us good news?” Danny asked.  
  
“Indeed. We found Wo Fat. He’s badly wounded on your front lawn. I’ll be glad to give him the hemlock,” Mick said.  
  
Steve looked grimly satisfied with the news. “That explains the decrease in gunfire.”  
  
“Go,” Danny said, waving his hand weakly. “Go get rid of the garbage. I’m apparently not _ever_ going to die now, thanks to you.”  
  
“Some people would consider it a gift,” Steve said.  
  
Danny shook his head, looking up at Max. “Can you fix me up so Grace can come?”  
  
“I can,” Max agreed. “Naolkupa and I will see to him, Commander. You needn’t worry.”  
  
“Right,” Steve said, kissing Danny in promise before going out with Mick.  
  
“Welcome to the Moiety,” Naolkupa said as she sat on the edge of the cot away from the blood.  
  
“What happens now?” Danny asked Naolkupa as Max gave him a shot of morphine.   
  
“You live a very long and happy life with Steve and Grace. Eventually you are relocated,” Naolkupa said, helping Max tend Danny’s wound.  
  
“Yeah,” Danny sighed. “He’ll come back 14 and I’ll be 35. Not too creepy.”  
  
Naolkupa laughed, shaking her head. “You’ll find a way, my friend. Love always finds a way.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have NO idea where this story came from. Except I started watching 'Moonlight' because of Alex O'Laughlin. And that turned into 'hmmm... I wonder what would happen if Steve was immortal?' That turned into this story. I will be adding to it as my muses allow, since this is really their fault anyway. Reviews and Kudos = writer crack, just so you know. :-)


End file.
